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An Exploration Of Affective, Physiological, And Environmental Stress Among Adolescents With Chronic Medical Conditions, Brittany Lynn Ricart
An Exploration Of Affective, Physiological, And Environmental Stress Among Adolescents With Chronic Medical Conditions, Brittany Lynn Ricart
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Youth with chronic medical conditions (CMC) may be at-risk for increased stressors. For adolescents with CMC, maladaptive stress responsivity could lead to worse psychological and physiological effects from the stressors themselves. The current study aimed to understand the relation between affective and physiological responses to stress, environmental context, and longer-term health outcomes in youth with and without CMC. A sample of 141 adolescents, 73 with CMC and 68 without CMC, were randomly matched on age and gender. Participants completed self-report questionnaires at two time points, 6 months apart. Cortisol samples were collected during different timepoints of the Trier Social Stress …
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 …
Under The Skin Social Stress: Physiological Effects Of Racial Discrimination And Family Communication During Adolescence, Dana Mansfield
Under The Skin Social Stress: Physiological Effects Of Racial Discrimination And Family Communication During Adolescence, Dana Mansfield
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Adolescence is a formative, developmental period that encompasses increased life stress. For youth of color, these stressors are amplified due to race-related experiences such as racial discrimination. Studies have shown that family communication greatly influences the physiological stress response in childhood development. The purpose of the current study was to examine how interpersonal and institutional discrimination impact the physiological stress response and how supportive family communication may influence the stress response in adolescents from various ethnic and racial groups. A sample of 379 ethnically diverse adolescents participated in this study and completed self-report questionnaires. Cortisol samples were collected in conjunction …
To Engage Or Disengage: The Impact Of Coping Strategies, Sex, And Stress History On Cortisol Reactivity Among Urban Adolescents, Madeline Curzon
To Engage Or Disengage: The Impact Of Coping Strategies, Sex, And Stress History On Cortisol Reactivity Among Urban Adolescents, Madeline Curzon
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Stress affects people daily and can prove maladaptive to mental health if chronic or acute. Effective coping responses may mitigate the negative effects of intense or prolonged stress through physiological processes such as HPA axis activity. Previous research has found one specific coping dimension, engagement/disengagement, to be predictive of cortisol reactivity in response to lab-induced stressors. Sex and stress history also contribute to the relationship between coping and cortisol reactivity. However, these processes are not as well understood in adolescent populations and have not been explored across different types of stressors. The present study explored the relationship between coping and …
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 …
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 …
The Effects Of Physical Activity On Suicidal Ideation In Adolescents, Sydney Shepperd Smith
The Effects Of Physical Activity On Suicidal Ideation In Adolescents, Sydney Shepperd Smith
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
This thesis examines how physical activity influences suicidal ideation longitudinally in a population-based sample of adolescents in grades 7 through 12, as well as investigates potential mediating and moderating factors of this association. Physical activity has been found to be protective against depression and suicidal behaviors in various populations. Few studies have explored the relationship between physical activity and suicidal ideation in a representative sample of adolescents, and even fewer have examined this relationship prospectively. This study included measures of physical activity, self-esteem, social support, and suicidal ideation from Wave I and Wave 2 of the National Longitudinal Study of …
Exposure To Community Violence And The Trajectory Of Internalizing And Externalizing Problems In A Sample Of Low-Income Urban Youth, Jeremy Jay Taylor
Exposure To Community Violence And The Trajectory Of Internalizing And Externalizing Problems In A Sample Of Low-Income Urban Youth, Jeremy Jay Taylor
College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations
Intro: The transition from childhood to adolescence is a period of increased risk for psychological problems (e.g. Keiley, & Martin, 2002). Exposure to community violence, may impact the degree to which psychological problems emerge during adolescence (Grant et al., 2004). Previous research also indicates that low-income urban youth are disproportionately exposed to severe community violence, leaving them at higher risk to experience psychopathology (Grant et al., 2004). However, recent longitudinal research suggests that this elevated risk may decline throughout the adolescent years (Murphy et al., 2000) especially for internalizing problems (J. Twenge & S. Nolen-Hoeksema, 2002). The current research hypothesizes …