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Heuristic Expectations Of The Cinderella Effect As A Function Of Sexual Dimorphism In Men's Facial Structures, Lindsey Eagan

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Masculinized male faces have an ambivalent signal value, wherein perceivers recognize various coalitional benefits and costs. Within parenting domains, masculine men could afford protection toward their offspring despite potentially using more aggressive behaviors toward them. Nonetheless, the benefits of masculine fathers could be limited to their biological children while the costs toward stepchildren would be greater. Perceivers could develop implicit theories about parental behaviors as a visual corollary of the Cinderella Effect, or stepchildren’s greater vulnerability to abuse. Participants evaluated a series of masculinized and feminized male faces described as either biological parents or stepparents in domains related to positive …

Promoting Child Rearing For Teen Mothers Within The Foster Care System, Monic Chavez, Rebecca King

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Teenage pregnancy in foster care is twice the national average, with one-third becoming pregnant by 17. There are limited programs available to assist teen mothers in foster care in developing healthy parent-child relationships and parenting skills despite their desire to break the cycle of trauma and improve their relationships with their children. The objective of the capstone program is to establish and operate a residential maternity home-based trauma-informed parenting program that assists teenage mothers in foster care in developing parenting skills and a healthy parent-child relationship by providing them with the necessary resources and support.

Police Officer Perceptions Of Parenting Experience Changes Following An On-Duty Child Death, Jennifer Sellers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) work in careers that can be demanding, stressful, and traumatizing. Although researchers have explored vicarious, or secondary, trauma as it relates to a LEO bringing their experiences at work into the home environment, influencing their spouse or partner’s mental and physical well-being, they have not yet investigated how a LEO’s experience of a child death while on-duty might affect their parenting styles. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the parenting styles that LEOs use or change when they have experienced a traumatic incident at work, specifically a child death. The study was …

Annual Research Review: The Power Of Predictability – Patterns Of Signals In Early Life Shape Neurodevelopment And Mental Health Trajectories, Elysia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The global burden of early life adversity (ELA) is profound. The World Health Organization has estimated that ELA accounts for almost 30% of all psychiatric cases. Yet, our ability to identify which individuals exposed to ELA will develop mental illness remains poor and there is a critical need to identify underlying pathways and mechanisms. This review proposes unpredictability as an understudied aspect of ELA that is tractable and presents a conceptual model that includes biologically plausible mechanistic pathways by which unpredictability impacts the developing brain. The model is supported by a synthesis of published and new data illustrating the significant …

The Impact Of Infant-Toddler Screen Time On Self-Regulation And Behavior Challenges: The Role Of Parenting Style And Socio-Economic Status, Tara O'Malley

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As young children are growing up in a digitally enmeshed world, there is growing concern about the developmental impacts of screen time. Given the importance of early rapid brain development, understanding the developmental outcomes of screen time in early childhood is critical. Current research suggests that excessive screen time may lead to delays in physical, cognitive, and language development. However, the impact of screen time on socio-emotional development among young children (0-5 years) is not well understood. Therefore, the present study examined the effects of screen time on social-emotional outcomes of 12-to-36-month-old children, specifically, the impact on self-regulation and behavior …

The Relationship Between Poverty And Behavior Problems : Examining The Role Of Family And Parental Factors From An Ecological Systems Perspective, Alaina Marie Wodzinski

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The large number of children from low-income households or living in poverty are at increased risk for a range of negative outcomes, including behavior problems. The Family Stress Model is a framework that can be used to describe how poverty may shape the development of behavior problems through its influence on family processes, including parental mental health, parenting, and household environment. While the Family Stress Model has been widely replicated, studies have rarely examined the context of infancy and toddlerhood, during which family-related processes tend to be more impactful in child development. Therefore, the present study evaluated two adaptations of …

Effects Of Parenting And Self-Efficacy On Diet, Family Mealtime And Weight-Related Outcomes In African American Adolescents, Haylee Michele Loncar

Theses and Dissertations

Despite substantial research and concern, adolescent overweight and obesity continues to be a significant public health problem. Theory based on developmental literature emphasizes the role of adolescent self-regulatory factors, like self-efficacy, in health behavior engagement and weight-related outcomes. There is also extensive literature that highlights parents’ role in promoting self-regulatory development through warm and responsive behaviors and practices. However, few studies have considered longitudinal associations and changes in weight-related outcomes over time, as well as moderated effects by parenting. This study assessed longitudinal associations between adolescent self-efficacy parenting factors and adolescent BMI, diet, and family mealtime to fill gaps in …

The Interplay Between Parental Psychological Control And Parental Emotional Overinvolvement On Depressive Symptoms Among Early Adolescents, Taylor Breanna Ullrich

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Parenting and parental behaviors are critical to the emotional well-being of youth. Emotional overinvolvement is one part of a broader construct known as Expressed Emotion. Emotional overinvolvement is known as intrusive, overprotective, excessively self-sacrificing, or devoted behavior or exaggerated emotional response to the child (Leff & Vaughn, 1985). It is not known how Emotional Overinvolvement relates to other dimensions of parenting. Psychological control parenting behavior that involves the use of tactics such as love withdrawal, guilt induction, invalidation, and conditional approval (Barber, 1996). The current study is the first study to investigate the association between psychological control, emotional overinvolvement and …

Utilizing Mixed Graphical Network Models To Explore Parent Psychological Symptoms And Their Centrality To Parent Mental Health In Households With High Child Screen Usage, Piper F. Stacey, Nicholas C. Jacobson, Damien Lekkas

Computer Science Senior Theses

Especially among adolescents, screens are being used more than ever. In conjunction with this trend, mental illness is increasingly prevalent among both adults and children, and parental psychological problems are shown to be associated with children's TV watching, video watching, and gaming (Pulkki-Råback et al., 2022). This study aims to approach parent mental illness symptom by symptom to explore which specific symptoms are most central to parent psychological problems in households where children show high screen time behaviors. We draw from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study®), a nationwide sample of 11,875 children aged 10-13 collected by …

Parenting And Students' Gpa In The Latino Population: An Exploratory Study, Carolina Arboleda

Dissertations

The present study experimentally investigated Latino high school students’ grade point averages (GPA) and the parenting styles used by their parents based on Baumrind’s (1968, 1971, 1989, 1991) theory of parenting behaviors. Participants (N=52) were asked to take a survey of 62 questions total addressing three parenting dimensions as measured by the Escala Parental Breve to categorize their parents’ behaviors into parenting styles. Participants also responded to demographic questions such as English proficiency, household income, parents’ education level, and other relevant factors impacting parenting and GPA. Results from the study were limited as there was a limited number of participants; …

Exploring The Process Of Mindful Breathing With Stressed Mothers, Caleb D. Farley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mindfulness exists in many parenting and family interventions and are intended to decrease stress, improve familial relationships, and indirectly improve child wellness, and these mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) are relatively effective at doing so. However, critical issues remain related to designing effective and useful interventions for school-based and other community practitioners. Specifically, research has not demonstrated clear relationships between parent mindfulness practice increasing generalized mindfulness behaviors (i.e., awareness and acceptance), experiencing subsequent parental stress reduction, and reporting decreased behavior problems in children. The current study examined these relationships between practicing mindfulness and experiencing changes in parents’ mindfulness process, wellbeing, and perceptions …

Teaching, Tough Love, Or Mean?, Jake Darbhanga

be Still

Nobody is born with the knowledge they have today; everything is learned as one lives their life. Teaching can take many forms and come from all types of people. Parents are generally the first teachers a child encounters from the first day of their lives. There is no one correct way of parenting, but there is a common desire to provide the best possible upbringing for one's child.

As I live my life, I find myself expressing the lessons I have learned and utilizing the knowledge I acquired from the people who have taught me. My personality often reflects the …

The Relation Between Adhd Symptoms And Life Satisfaction/Self-Esteem Among Youth: Family Structure And Parenting Practices As Moderators, Yvette Rother

Theses and Dissertations

Children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be particularly vulnerable to lower life satisfaction and self-esteem, given negative perceptions about their abilities and self, as well as related impairments in academic, social, and interpersonal functioning. Family factors, such as family structure and parenting behaviors, can impact youth development and behaviors. However, it is unclear what role family factors play in the relation between ADHD symptoms and life satisfaction and self-esteem among youth. This study therefore examined whether ADHD symptoms have an impact on the life satisfaction and self-esteem of children and adolescents in grades 4-12. Moreover, it explored whether …

The Effect Of The Degree Of Authoritative Parenting On Adolescents' Adjustment To College, Elizabeth Smith

Senior Theses

This research aimed to explore how parenting style relates to college students’ adjustment in the first month of college. Authoritative parenting is marked by a standard of maintaining some control, while also promoting children’s autonomy. Previous research has found that authoritative parenting is positively associated with adolescent behavior that is more socially responsible, self-reliant, cheerful, and cooperative. Furthermore, the more support and independence that parents encourage, will in turn breed confidence and academic persistence in adolescent years. I will expand on this research by evaluating whether parenting style also relates to adjustment and mental health outcomes among first year college …

Lgbtq-Parent Families: Diversity, Intersectionality, And Social Context, Abbie E. Goldberg

Psychology

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and trans (LGBTQ) parents become parents in a variety of ways, including via reproductive technologies, through foster care and adoption, and in the context of different-gender relationships. This review addresses research developments over the past 5–6 years, revealing that LGBTQ people continue to face barriers in becoming parents, especially those who are trans, of color, and have limited financial means. Bisexual and trans parents are increasingly centered in research, and have unique experiences of parenthood related to navigating (in)visibility and stigma in various contexts. Recent work has documented the impacts of sociopolitical events (e.g., COVID-19, the …

When Crying Turns To Hitting: Examining Maternal Responses To Negative Affect, Brooke Edelman

Theses and Dissertations

Most children exhibit some form of physical aggression in the first years of life, and physical aggression is particularly common in toddlerhood (Hay, 2005; Lorber et al., 2017; Lorber et al., 2019; Nærde et al., 2014; Tremblay & Nagin, 2005). Further, aggression is conceptualized as a byproduct of frustration and related negative affect (Berkowitz, 1989), and early physical aggression is empirically linked to anger (Lorber et al., 2015). The current study is part of a body of research examining early aggression and will explore the mechanisms by which children’s negative affect escalates to aggression in a brief conflict episode. Given …

Emotion Control, Overreactive Parenting, And Mothers’ Executive Functions, Serah Jaya Narine

Theses and Dissertations

Evidence suggests that mothers’ emotion control difficulties are associated with their self-reported and observed overreactive parenting. Specifically, mothers who have difficulties managing their negative emotions and experience more anger, are more likely to discipline harshly. In addition to this emotional process, evidence suggests that poorer cognitive executive function (EF) is also associated with mothers’ use of overreactive discipline. However, the association between EF performance and overreactive parenting is inconsistent. The purpose of this study is to assess how different EFs may moderate the association between emotion control and overreactive parenting. I hypothesized that (1) mothers’ emotion control would be negatively …

Intergenerational Transmission Of Parenting: The Childhood Correlates Of Rejection Sensitivity During Pregnancy And Subsequent Effects On Future Parenting, Preeya Desai

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Adverse early childhood experiences, including trauma and rejecting parenting behaviors, have been shown to affect later functioning, including one’s sensitivity to rejection in interpersonal relationships. The current study aimed to examine the early predictors of rejection sensitivity in a sample of at-risk pregnant women whose thoughts about parenting may be particularly activated. It was hypothesized that less caring remembered parenting would be related to greater rejection sensitivity during pregnancy. In addition, a relationship between history of childhood trauma and rejection sensitivity in pregnancy was predicted in this sample. Participants included 83 pregnant women who were randomly assigned to receive an …

A Nonconcurrent Multiple Baseline Evaluation Of An Independence Intervention To Treat Child Anxiety, Matthew Fastman M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Rates of child and adolescent anxiety have increased markedly over the past decade (Haidt & Twenge 2021; Parodi et al., 2021). Exposure-based cognitive-behavioral therapy is considered the gold standard in the treatment of anxious children (Hofmann et al., 2012). However, many clinicians refrain from using exposure due to concerns about its safety, effectiveness, and ethics (Deacon et al., 2013; Whiteside et al., 2016). We propose a novel treatment approach for child and adolescent anxiety that draws on research in child development (e.g. Daddis, 2011) and is considerably simpler to administer than traditional exposure-based approaches. This new approach is composed of …

Intergenerational Transmission Of Parenting: Does Emotion Regulation Buffer The Effect Of Negative Early Care Experiences On The Cortisol Stress Response And Subsequent Caregiving?, Erin Rochelle Mckay

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A phenomenon known as the intergenerational transmission of parenting, where children tend to parent their children in a manner similar to how their own parents provided care, has received notable attention within developmental research. While several mechanisms focusing on cognitive and psychological factors have been proposed, there is less research examining biological mechanisms within the intergenerational transmission of parenting framework, especially when considering caregiving behavior exhibited in the context of child distress. Further, few studies have examined parent attributes which may disrupt the intergenerational transmission of parenting. The current study seeks to examine the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stress response as …

My Baby, My Move+: Feasibility Of A Community Prenatal Wellbeing Intervention, Jenn A. Leiferman, Rachael Lacy, Jessica Walls, Charlotte V. Farewell, Mary K. Dinger, Danielle Symons Downs, Sarah S. Farrabi, Jennifer L. Huberty, James F. Paulson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

Excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG), insufficient prenatal physical activity and sleep, and poor psychological wellbeing independently increase risks for adverse maternal and infant outcomes. A novel approach to mitigate these risks is utilizing peer support in a community-based prenatal intervention. This study assessed the feasibility (acceptability, demand, implementation, and practicality) of a remotely delivered prenatal physical activity intervention called My Baby, My Move + (MBMM +) that aims to increase prenatal physical activity, enhance mood and sleep hygiene, and reduce EGWG.

Methods

Participants were recruited through community organizations, local clinics, and social media platforms in the Fall of 2020 …

Serious Conduct Problems And Callous Unemotional Traits In Offending Adolescents: Unique And Shared Contributions Of Parenting And Community Risk, Elizabeth R. Corning

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A growing body of research has suggested that parenting behaviors influence the development of youth conduct problems (CP) and callous-unemotional traits (CU). However, few studies have examined how parenting impacts CP and CU growth over time, and whether these associations differ based on the presence of additional community-level risk factors. This study used data from the Pathways to Desistance project (N = 1,354) to investigate how distinct parenting behaviors (i.e., positive parenting, harsh parenting, and parental knowledge) impact the initial level and growth in CP and CU across four years among adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system. Interaction effects …

The Correlation Between Perceived Maternal Parenting Style And Perceived Emotion Regulation In Seventh-Day Adventists In Southern Brazil, Camila Cardoso Masotti

Master's Theses

Problem.\

One's ability to regulate his/her emotions utilizing coping mechanisms and dissuasive mental strategies is partly attained due to the correct functioning of innate biological systems and to life experiences that promote learning/training in this area (cf., e.g., Matsumoto & Hwang, 2012). The field of emotion regulation studies has extensively elaborated on a multivalent description of human emotional development, in which emotions are part of essential mental strategies for an individual's conscious and unconscious goals in life (cf., e.g., Lang & Bradley, 2010; Levenson, 1999). Therefore, as a partly learned ability, one's emotion regulation skills have been shown as positively …

Parental Perceptions Of Social And Emotional Well-Being Of Young Children From Australian Military Families, Marg Rogers, Amy Johnson, Yumiko Coffey, Jill Fielding, Ingrid Harrington, Navjot Bhullar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Many Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Veteran families are affected by the stressors of Defence family life, including frequent and prolonged parental deployments, and frequent relocations. Objective: To address a gap in information about Defence and Veteran (hereafter Defence) parents' knowledge, confidence and resources to support their young children's well-being and build their resilience. Design: This study used a mixed methods design to explore Defence parent's perceptions of their young children's (aged 2–8 years) social and emotional well-being and understanding of their children's responses to unique stressors as well as their confidence in providing support. Data from 41 parents …

Youth-Perceived Variability In Harsh Parenting From 8-14 Years As A Predictor Of Internalizing And Externalizing Symptoms At 15 Years, Ann E. Folker

Masters Theses

Harsh parenting behaviors have been shown to predict internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children. These symptoms of psychopathology can persist into adolescence, which can negatively impact social, academic, and emotional functioning. Most studies, however, focus on between-person differences in average harsh parenting, rather than within-person changes in harsh parenting over time. This variability in harsh parenting has a potentially unique impact on the development of adolescent psychopathology. The present study aims to understand if child/adolescent-perceived variability in harsh parenting over time (intraindividual variability; IIV) predicts higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in mid-adolescence, while controlling for average levels of …

Familial And Environmental Contributions To Child Theory Of Mind Development, Sarah Mccormick

Doctoral Dissertations

Theory of mind is a social cognitive domain, reflecting the understanding that internal mental states motivate outward behavior, that develops rapidly over the preschool time period. While critical for healthy social development, less is known about the how aspects of the family environment interact to influence this development or the neural mechanisms that support it. Several decades of research have demonstrated behaviorally that aspects of parent behavior and language are associated with theory of mind skill use in early childhood. Many of the earliest social interactions occur with parents within the family context and little research to date has examined …

Acculturative Parenting Cognitions: Bicultural Socialization Beliefs Among Chinese American Parents, Albert Lo

Doctoral Dissertations

Chinese American and Chinese immigrant parents within the United States possess parenting cognitions that reflect their multidimensional cultural experiences. One such parenting cognition is parents’ bicultural socialization beliefs, defined as their desire for their children to adopt both heritage Chinese values as well as destination American values in order to be successful in the United States. The aim of the current dissertation was to quantitatively examine bicultural socialization beliefs among Chinese American parents of adolescents and young adults. Four studies were conducted to model a pathway from parents’ social and cultural experiences to outcomes in their children. Study 1 examined …

Impact Of Stress And Decision Fatigue On Parenting Practices Related To Food And Physical Activity During Covid‐19, Harrison D. Angoff, Lauren A. Dial, Aniko V. Varga, Sneha Kamath, Dara Musher-Eizenman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in substantial disruptions to daily functioning and lifestyle behaviours, with negative health consequences for youth. Parents play a large role in their children's health behaviour; yet changes to parenting behaviours during the pandemic related to food and physical activity remain relatively unexplored. The present study is the first to our knowledge to examine specific changes in American parents' parenting behaviours related to food and physical activity during COVID-19, and potential correlates of such changes, including perceived stress and decision fatigue.

Methods

A total of 140 parents (88.57% female; 88.41% White; 87.59% married; with one …

Longitudinal Associations Between Housing Instability, Primary Caregiver's Mental Health, Parenting Skills, And Child Behavior Problems: A Latent Growth Modeling Approach, Xi Du

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Children who grow up in disruptive environments have heightened vulnerability to psychological and behavioral difficulties, which may influence overall well-being through the course of their lives. This study combined a life course perspective with Conger’s family stress model to investigate the longitudinal associations between housing instability, primary caregiver’s mental health, parenting skills, and child internalizing/externalizing behavior problems by unpacking dynamic change from a focal child’s early childhood to adolescence in each factor.

Data came from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and its Child Development Supplement survey. The analytic sample comprises 783 children who aged 3-7 at enrollment with consistent …

The Role Of Hostile Attribution Bias In The Relationship Between Parental Adversity Exposure And Observed Parental Sensitivity, Ashley Lauren Waters

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Exposure to adversity throughout the lifespan, including poverty, has been shown to influence parental sensitivity, or a caregiver’s ability to perceive, accurately interpret, and then respond appropriately to a child’s bids or behaviors. Given that adverse experiences can influence social cognition, it may be that hostile attribution bias (HAB, the tendency to interpret ambiguous social information as hostile), may be a mechanism accounting for the association between adversity exposure and parental behavior. The study aimed to contribute to the understanding of the determinants of sensitive parenting by evaluating the relationship between parents’ adversity (selfreported childhood, adulthood, and lifetime cumulative exposure …