Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

The Efficacy And Acceptability Of A Virtual Versus Hybrid Wellness Program On Health Outcomes Among Faculty And Staff At A Northeastern University During Covid-19, Elizabeth Tenison

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

According to American Psychological Association Work and Well-being Survey of 1,501 U.S. adult workers, 79% of employees reported negative impacts of work-related stress, including lack of interest (26%) and effort (19%) at work. Workplace wellness programs offer a means to alleviate stress among employees. The research explored the perceived acceptability and efficacy of a virtual versus hybrid wellness program and some specific health outcomes, total cholesterol, BP, and BMI, perceived well-being and stress among faculty and staff at a northeastern university. Participants (n=61) included women (77%), 30-50 years of age (67.7%), and staff (30%) vs. faculty (70%) enrolled in the …

Exploring The Interconnections Of Role Satisfaction, Self-Efficacy, Negative Affect, And Stress Among College Students, Jonathan Emmons

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has explored the connections between various psychosocial factors among students, such as the negative association between self-efficacy and stress, or the influence of affect on stress. A separate vein of research has explored the nature of roles and how expectations and behaviors arise for particular roles such as those associated with work or school. As of yet, little to no research has attempted to bridge the gap between these veins of research in order to explore student satisfaction with various roles and what effect, if any, those perceptions have on overall levels of stress. The current study focused …

Investigating The Influence Of Stress On Motivational Dysfunction In Male And Female Rodents, Emily Laine Errante

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Motivational dysfunction is present in a variety of disorders, including major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and Parkinsonism and can negatively impact social functioning, employment, and treatment response. Interestingly, outside stressors and stress hormones have been shown to contribute to depressive episodes in humans and depressive-like behaviors in rodents, including reducing motivated behaviors. Effort-related decision making procedures have been utilized in both humans and animals in order to examine motivational dysfunction, as it offers a subject a choice between high effort/reward and low effort/reward options, but little research has examined the effects of stress on effort-related decision making behaviors. Moreover, almost all …

Social Support Networks As Buffers Against The Association Between Covid-19 Related Stress And Depression: A Latent Profile, Three-Way Interaction Approach, Kathleen Kelly

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Since the beginning of the pandemic, approximately one in four people in the general public have experienced moderate to severe levels of stress, which precures the development of depression. Young adults were extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 related stressors developing into mental health disorders (Wang et al., 2020). PURPOSE: The study aimed to explore this vulnerability in a young adult, undergraduate sample. The main purpose was to explore to what extent profiles of sources of social support networks can strengthen or weaken the proposed association between various types of COVID- 19-related stress and depression and whether social support was a …

High School Student-Athlete Sleep Habits Using Activity Monitoring, Corey Thomas Ungaro

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Sleep research is an area of scientific inquiry that impacts all individuals due to sleep's effects on health, well-being, and performance. Healthy sleep habits have been shown to improve academic and athletic performance in collegiate student-athletes. Surprisingly, no sleep research has been conducted on high school student-athletes during a semester. High school student-athletes can benefit from understanding their sleep habits and how sleep can affect the development of the adolescent brain and improve performance giving athletes the potential for a competitive advantage. This retrospective analysis aims to examine the sleep habits of student-athletes while balancing their academic and athletic responsibilities …

S.I.S. (Suffering In Silence): The Influence Of Educational Attainment On Black Women’S Health, Quiana Chakeena Jones

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, narrative inquiry study was to explore the influence of educational attainment on Black women’s perceptions of their health. Empirical research indicates the causes of stress and other health concerns pertaining to Black women are often rooted in racism and discrimination. Within the literature, the barriers that many African American women face within the educational system on all levels are discussed. However, there are few studies that have specifically researched the connection between educational attainment regarding receiving bachelorette degrees or higher and how or if that has an influence on Black women’s health. As such, the …

The Fog Of Blackacre: Exploring Depression, Anxiety, And Stress Of The American Law Student, Amanda Carey

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress among first-year law students and the U.S. News and World Report rankings. Surveys using the DASS–21, DREEM questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life scale and qualitative questions were administered to first-year law students at 44 randomly selected law schools across the United States. In the largest modern mental health study to date, responses totaled 5% of the first-year law student population. Results showed no significant relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress of first-year law students and the U.S. News and World Report rankings. Substantial depression, anxiety, and stress of first-year law students …

The Process Of Therapeutic Change In The Attention Training Technique, Benjamin J. Laman-Maharg

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background: An unacceptably large proportion of individuals remain symptomatic after receiving first-line interventions. The attention training technique (ATT) is a potentially effective treatment augmentation and standalone treatment that may help improve the treatment of psychological disorders. The machanisms of therapuetic change of ATT remain understudied. This study is a randomized controlled trial of ATT compared to progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) that examined mindfulness and attentional control as potential mechisms of therapeutic change.

Method: A convenience sample of 64 participants (Mage = 20.13, SD = 3.65; 42.2% Male; 64.1% non-Hispanic White; 23.4% Black; 9.4% Hispanic/Latino; 3.1% Other) were randomly assigned to …

Sources Of Social Support And Their Relation To Stress And Engagement Among College Students, Jonathan D. Emmons

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has explored the impact of stress on students’ well-being, including academic outcomes such as grades and student engagement. Research has also noted the positive and protective impact of social support from family, friends, classmates, teachers, etc., on academic outcomes. The current study sought to extend the existing base of literature by exploring the relation between stress, social support, and engagement among college students. In the current sample, stress was found to be a significant, positive predictor of social engagement with peers. Regression results also revealed significant and positive associations between social support from family and academic engagement. Additionally, …

Assessment Of “Meaning Made”: An Empirical Examination Of Factorial Structure And Measure Validity, Andrea M. Despotes

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Meaning-making theory posits that appraisal of a stressful event leads to distress if it is discrepant with one’s sense of “global meaning,” and such distress stimulates meaning-making processes aimed at eliminating the discrepancy. If meaning making leads to new meaning (i.e., “meaning made”), the stress-induced discrepancy is reduced, which generally is expected to result in positive adjustment. This study investigated the factorial structure of the meaning made construct using a sample (N = 372) of Amazon Mechanical Turk workers in the United States having “Masters” status and a minimum approval rating of 95%. Participants reported an average age of about …

Stress Response And Performance Changes Of Law Enforcement Officers’ Marksmanship Under Varied Levels Of Stress, Brandon Michael Male

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Objective: To investigate changes in physiological stress response and shooting performance of law enforcement officers under varying levels of stress. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to determine how increasing levels of stress from operating a firearm on static targets changes when law enforcement officers are subjected to a simulated life-threatening or dangerous situation.

Background: Performance changes associated with high levels of stress have been well documented in disciplines such as sports psychology, medicine, and military/law enforcement fields. However, little work has been done to draw comparisons between firearm training methods and qualification procedures which closely mimic armed …

Examining The Relationship Between Self-Compassion And Emotion Regulation Strategies Using Ambulatory Assessment Methods, Lindsay Mae Miller

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Self-compassion focuses on how individuals treat themselves during periods of suffering. Overall, self-compassion is positively associated with adaptive mental health outcomes and negatively associated with psychopathology. One potential mechanism by which self-compassion may influence other constructs is emotion regulation. Unfortunately, most research about emotion regulation is conducted using retrospective reporting, meaning that the data are subject to memory biases. Ambulatory assessment methods allow for more frequent sampling, thus decreasing the reliance on recall. Using this methodology, the present study examined how differences in self-compassion were related to emotion regulation in daily life. Contrary to predictions, few ambulatory measures (depression, anxiety, …

Factors Affecting Disordered Eating Among College Freshmen Upon Entering College, Libby Micaela Moser

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: There is a gap in literature on disordered eating among college freshmen since 2011. Research has shown that disordered eating manifests itself during adolescence and is likely to transcend into adulthood1,7,8,9,14,15. The freshmen year in college is likely to be challenging for many students. During this time, they may develop disordered eating or perpetuate an existing condition3,4,14,15. This research study investigated the prevalence of disordered eating among college freshmen and factors that may impact this development. A comparison of prior history of disordered eating was also examined.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted on college freshmen at Northern …