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The Infant Orienting Response As It Relates To Mother-Infant Co-Regulation And Attachment, Sarah Ann Ahlander Stone Dec 2011

The Infant Orienting Response As It Relates To Mother-Infant Co-Regulation And Attachment, Sarah Ann Ahlander Stone

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between 6-month old infants' orienting response to maternal arm-restraint (as measured by bradycardia), the quality of mother-infant communication at 6 and 9 months (as measured by the Relational Coding System) and attachment at 12 months (as measured by the Strange Situation Procedure). As positive mother-infant communication increases, the chances the infant will experience bradycardia increases. As negative mother-infant communication increases, the chances that the infant will experience bradycardia decreases. For mothers and infants who have more positive communication patterns, orienting response to the maternal arm-restraint suggests that maternal disruption of infant activity was a novel …


The Relationship Of Adult Attachment Dimensions And Neuroticism To Relationship Self-Regulation, Garret Tyler Roundy Dec 2011

The Relationship Of Adult Attachment Dimensions And Neuroticism To Relationship Self-Regulation, Garret Tyler Roundy

Theses and Dissertations

Self-regulation in the context of a relationship, described as relationship "work," is a powerful predictor of relationship satisfaction. Identifying individual characteristics that predict the practice of relationship self-regulation (RSR) can inform clinical and couple relationship education interventions. Anxious and avoidant attachment have been linked to shortcomings in self-regulation in various contexts, and were hypothesized to be negatively associated to individual practice of RSR; neuroticism, a personality trait characterized by negative emotionality, was also hypothesized to be negatively related to RSR. Neuroticism was also tested as a moderator of the relationship between attachment and RSR. Data from first-married men (589) and …


Types Of Religiousness And Marital Relationships, Toshi Shichida Dec 2011

Types Of Religiousness And Marital Relationships, Toshi Shichida

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between two types of religiousness (progressive and orthodox) and marital relationships was investigated using qualitative data from a sample of 26 Christian couples (13 progressive and 39 orthodox individuals) from California and New England. The focus of the study was individuals' frameworks of values and goals (moral order) and the ontological views behind them. Text analysis, t-tests for between-group differences of coded results, and phenomenological analysis were used. Results indicated that couples in the progressive group had Non-transcendent Selfhood as a basic moral order and engaged in mutual loving-kindness to respect and care for each other …


Factors Related To Parental Approval Of Adult Childrens' Engagement Relationships, Marietta Malnar Nov 2011

Factors Related To Parental Approval Of Adult Childrens' Engagement Relationships, Marietta Malnar

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined possible factors that may influence parental approval for their adult child's engaged relationship. A total of 4,175 individuals completed the RELATE inventory. Among the items in the questionnaire were measures of parental approval, parents' marital quality, autonomy from family-of-origin, and relationship quality. Individuals also reported age, education, length of relationship, parents' marital status, and parents' socioeconomic status. Results from the linear regression analysis indicate that age, parental marital quality, autonomy from family-of-origin, and couple relationship quality all influence parental approval. What is interesting about these findings is the difference in the predictive power of males versus females. …


The Impact Of Traumatic Symptoms On Intimacy Among Sexually Abused Women, Mediated By Shame, Stacy L. Hamilton Nov 2011

The Impact Of Traumatic Symptoms On Intimacy Among Sexually Abused Women, Mediated By Shame, Stacy L. Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic symptoms are common for survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and such symptoms are often compounded by the presence of shame. While much is known regarding the negative impact of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on CSA survivors, less is known regarding the relationship between PTSD and shame and little to no research has investigated the impact of PTSD on intimacy mediated by shame for CSA survivors. The current study sought to fill this gap in the literature by exploring this phenomenon. Data was randomly collected from households in the following cities: Chicago, IL; New York City, NY; Salt Lake …


Coming To Terms With Family Of Origin Issues And Relationship Satisfaction For Native American Individuals In Committed Intimate Relationships, Krystal Cobell Dagley Nov 2011

Coming To Terms With Family Of Origin Issues And Relationship Satisfaction For Native American Individuals In Committed Intimate Relationships, Krystal Cobell Dagley

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between childhood family of origin (FOO) adversities, coming to terms with them, and adult intimate relationship satisfaction for Native American individuals. The sample consisted of 186 Native American individuals in committed relationships who responded to the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE). Among the items in the questionnaire were measures of childhood FOO adversity, whether respondents had come to terms with FOO problems, relationship quality and depression. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that coming to terms buffered the negative effects of childhood family of origin adversities on depression and relationship quality. Results suggest that coming to terms …


The Cost Effectiveness Of Individual And Family Therapy For Schizophrenia In Managed Care, Fufan Chiang Oct 2011

The Cost Effectiveness Of Individual And Family Therapy For Schizophrenia In Managed Care, Fufan Chiang

Theses and Dissertations

Much research has explored the cost effectiveness of psychotherapy for schizophrenia. However, to date, no studies have investigated the cost effectiveness of family and individual therapy for schizophrenia in the "real world" of managed care. The purpose of the present study is to compare the cost effectiveness of individual and family therapy for schizophrenia in one leading Health Care Insurer: CIGNA. Six years of outpatient data (2001–2006) and more than 2,100 unique schizophrenic outpatients are included. Research questions in this study concern the total treatment costs, the cost effectiveness, recidivism rates and the dropout rates of individual and family outpatient …


The Relationship Between Male Partner's Pornography Use And Couples' Attachment, Andrew P. Brown Sep 2011

The Relationship Between Male Partner's Pornography Use And Couples' Attachment, Andrew P. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Adult attachment theory continues to play an important role in explaining pathology within couples. Pornography is becoming more and more pervasive since the inception of the internet. This study looked at the relationship between insecure attachment, accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement with frequency of male pornography use. Little is known about pornography use and its impact on couple dynamics. This study specifically looked at pornography use predicting insecure attachment within couples. The sample was taken from the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE) and consisted of 189 couples. Male pornography use was found to be a predictor of insecure attachment …


Impact, Sustainability, And Dependency: The Case Of Empower Playgrounds, Inc., Ammon B. Franklin Aug 2011

Impact, Sustainability, And Dependency: The Case Of Empower Playgrounds, Inc., Ammon B. Franklin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies impact, sustainability, and dependency in the nonprofit sector. Empower Playgrounds, Inc. (EPI) is a nonprofit organization working to improve educational conditions in Africa through educational recreation, lighting for education, and hands-on science labs. A social impact assessment I performed for EPI in 2008 creates the context for discussion of EPI's sustainability. Dependency results from a lack of sufficient conditions for sustainability—resources, capability, and opportunity—which I elucidate in a framework of corresponding theories of capital. Using this sufficiency framework I analyze the resources, capabilities, and opportunities required for EPI program sustainability, determine unmet conditions, and propose solutions to …


The Sex Ratio Tipping Point: An Exploration Of Crime During Frontier America, Steven Matthew Stearmer Aug 2011

The Sex Ratio Tipping Point: An Exploration Of Crime During Frontier America, Steven Matthew Stearmer

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research confirms that the number of men in a population is associated with elevated levels of crime. The connection between higher numbers of males relative to females and crime is far less studied in larger aggregate populations, and the nature of the relationship is less clear. This study seeks to answer three questions: are unbalanced sex ratios associated with crime at the state level? At what level does the skew begin to matter? How quickly is the impact observed? These questions are examined through analysis of a novel longitudinal dataset of social characteristics and crime indicators for frontier American …


The Good Life: Mormons And Money, Rachel Donaldson Cranney Aug 2011

The Good Life: Mormons And Money, Rachel Donaldson Cranney

Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses the paradoxical beliefs and conceptualizations about money and stewardship among young adult Mormons and its consequences for the Mormon identity. The findings for this paper are based on 12 in-depth interviews with Brigham Young University students, recently graduated students, and, when applicable, their spouses, totaling 20 interviewees between the ages of 20 and 31. The data suggest that unique beliefs surrounding money have emerged from the Mormon culture as remnants of their early Mormon values still lingering in contemporary Mormon culture clash with the individualistic and consumer culture surrounding the interviewees. Interviewees demonstrate cognitive dissonance as they …


Gone But Not Forgetting: Examining The Differentiation Of Flourishing And Floundering In Emerging Adulthood In The Context Of Family Development, Shirene A. Urry Jul 2011

Gone But Not Forgetting: Examining The Differentiation Of Flourishing And Floundering In Emerging Adulthood In The Context Of Family Development, Shirene A. Urry

Theses and Dissertations

In emerging adulthood, distinctive groups have been found to exhibit "flourishing" (i.e., simultaneously experiencing positive, maturing relationships with parents, exploring identity in numerous positive areas, and striving to attain and subsequently achieving criteria deemed important for the successful transition to adulthood) and "floundering" (i.e., experiencing pitfalls such as heavy experimentation in the form of high levels of binge drinking and drug use, and instability reflected in high levels of depression and anxiety; Nelson & Padilla-Walker, 2011). While these groups have been found to differ with regards to factors of individual development, they had not been examined for variation with regards …


Division Of Labor And Marital Quality In China, Lexie Y. Pfeifer Jul 2011

Division Of Labor And Marital Quality In China, Lexie Y. Pfeifer

Theses and Dissertations

Research done in the United States has linked household division of labor to marital quality. Research shows that satisfaction with division of labor is associated with greater marital happiness. There is minimal research in other countries on the relationship between division of labor and marital quality. China, with a history of gender inequality and emerging women's rights, makes an ideal setting for examining the relationship between division of labor and marital quality. In addition to measuring the influence of division of labor and satisfaction with division of labor on marital satisfaction, this study includes a scale on childcare related tasks. …


The Effect Of Elementary After-School Participation On The Transition To Middle School, Grant Scanland Adamz Jul 2011

The Effect Of Elementary After-School Participation On The Transition To Middle School, Grant Scanland Adamz

Theses and Dissertations

This case study takes an in-depth look at what type of students transition from elementary to middle school 21st Century Community Learning Center programs. Using binary logistic regressions, I identify key characteristics that predict whether or not a student will continue to attend the program after they transition to a new school and then discuss how to improve the attendance of after-school programs. Moreover, this case study also identifies how different school program environments serve different types of students in two cohorts starting in fifth grade. Middle school context moderates the effects of other variables that are predictive of participation …


Community Satisfaction, Community Attachment, Community Experience, Internet Use And Internet Access In Rural Utah Communities, Tisah M. Quarnberg Jul 2011

Community Satisfaction, Community Attachment, Community Experience, Internet Use And Internet Access In Rural Utah Communities, Tisah M. Quarnberg

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of the Internet on rural community satisfaction, attachment and overall experience. With the geographic dispersion of social networks, the majority of the population has a greater need for long-distance social networking. The Internet has the potential to mitigate distance and connect social networks much faster than letter writing or face-to-face visits. While the Internet is available, to at least some extent, in rural communities in Utah, does it positively affect overall perceptions of community life? This study finds that this is not the case. There is a negative relationship between Internet use and community satisfaction …


Thin-Ideal Internalization, Body Misperception, And Their Association With Weight Control Behaviors Among Adolescent Girls, Erin Lindsey Moore Jul 2011

Thin-Ideal Internalization, Body Misperception, And Their Association With Weight Control Behaviors Among Adolescent Girls, Erin Lindsey Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Negative body image and preoccupation with weight are the norm for most women and girls in Western society, despite their potentially harmful consequences for psychological and physical wellness. While we know that many in this population experience negative feelings towards their bodies, we do not know if their beliefs about their body size are accurate and what effect a correct or incorrect assessment of one's body size has in terms of actual behavior. I examine this question among adolescent girls using data from the 2002 Health Behaviors in School-Age Children Survey. With a sample of 2,784 girls between the ages …


Higher Education In Native American Communities: Who Graduates And Why?, Ramon Francisco Castillo Ii Jul 2011

Higher Education In Native American Communities: Who Graduates And Why?, Ramon Francisco Castillo Ii

Theses and Dissertations

In this case study, I examine the graduation patterns of students attending Chief Dull Knife College located on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Lame Deer, Montana. While comparing the characteristics of students attending this college with that of two-year colleges nationally and tribal schools throughout the nation, we begin to understand the unique situation that this community faces. With the use of logistic and linear regressions, I explored the characteristics of those who graduate and ask the question, who graduates and what makes them unique? This study found that the credits attempted per semester, the number of credits they earned …


Adult Attachment: A Framework For Predicting Dating Patterns, Franklin Owen Poulsen Jul 2011

Adult Attachment: A Framework For Predicting Dating Patterns, Franklin Owen Poulsen

Theses and Dissertations

Although adult attachment has been the focus of a great deal of relationship research, few studies have attempted to examine how adult attachment style may be related to relationship initiation. This study investigates how adult attachment is associated with dating processes and patterns in a sample (N = 587) of college students at a private religious university. Results indicate that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are related to a pattern of being mostly dateless in a twenty-five week period. Furthermore, attachment avoidance but not anxiety is related to having fewer relationships in the period. Along with attachment avoidance and anxiety, …


Democracy Online: Immigration Discourse Over Time, Brian David Harris Jul 2011

Democracy Online: Immigration Discourse Over Time, Brian David Harris

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of internet communication has affected deliberative democracy by introducing new public spheres. One emerging public sphere is the discussion forum linked to online news sources. By analyzing 1,768 comments posted to a regional online news website, I discuss five key frameworks that commenters used to simplify the debate over immigration. I also find that extreme comments decreased in frequency over a two-year period while more moderate comments increased. In light of group polarization theory, this finding suggests that the forum is more like a single community with a fairly moderate average position to which people with differing opinions …


The Influence Of Religious Attendance And Gender In Accessing High-Status Social Ties, James William Phillips Jul 2011

The Influence Of Religious Attendance And Gender In Accessing High-Status Social Ties, James William Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

Religious participation often influences the composition of one's social network, but less is known about the degree to which religious attendance increases access to highly-influential individuals who can offer potential advantages in terms of resource distribution. Using data from the Panel Study of American Religion and Ethnicity (PS-ARE) I examine the influence of religious attendance and gender on accessing high-status social ties, which are defined as having conversations with the highly educated, elected public officials, and congregation leaders. I estimate ordered logistic regression models and find that increased religious attendance is associated with greater odds of accessing high-status social ties. …


Mormon Fertility In Latin America, Kiira Elizabeth Fox Jul 2011

Mormon Fertility In Latin America, Kiira Elizabeth Fox

Theses and Dissertations

While previous research has identified religion as an influence of fertility, how context changes the nature of that relationship remains little understood. Using census data from Brazil, Chile and Mexico, this study examines whether the high fertility pattern of one pronatalist, American-born religion (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) translates to the Latin American context. Results indicate that it does, but only inconsistently as the pronatalist pattern is masked by members' educational attainment and mixed religion marriages. When these attributes are accounted for LDS fertility is high in Latin America, especially among the more educated. This study highlights …


The Impact Of Marital Conflict On Parenting And Adolescent Prosocial Behavior, Adam M. Clark Jul 2011

The Impact Of Marital Conflict On Parenting And Adolescent Prosocial Behavior, Adam M. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between marital conflict, parenting, and adolescent prosocial behavior. Parents and one target child from two-parent families (n = 330) responded to questionnaires regarding levels of marital conflict, parenting behaviors, and child prosocial behavior. Using structural equation modeling, results indicated that one dimension of parenting, warmth and connection, mediated the relationship between marital conflict and child prosocial behavior. Group comparisons did not find significant gender differences. The significance on parent-child connection is discussed along with clinical implications.


Dismissed With Prejudice: Gender Inequality In The Utah Legal Market, Collin Read Flake Jul 2011

Dismissed With Prejudice: Gender Inequality In The Utah Legal Market, Collin Read Flake

Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing feminization of the legal profession in the United States over the last half century, past research has documented the prevalence and transformation of gender inequality in law firms. However, relatively little is known about gender inequality in small, conservative legal markets like Utah. This thesis examines data from the 2008-2009 Utah Attorney Advancement and Retention Survey. The analyses indicate that relative to their male colleagues, women earned less in 2007 and are less likely to procure higher quality job assignments than their peers. The most promising explanations for these disparities include employment sector, gender and motherhood statuses, …


Exploring Financial Knowledge, Behaviors, And Economic Socialization In An Incarcerated Population: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Lindsay Larson Call Jul 2011

Exploring Financial Knowledge, Behaviors, And Economic Socialization In An Incarcerated Population: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Lindsay Larson Call

Theses and Dissertations

Using a mixed method design, this study explored financial knowledge, behaviors, and economic socialization in a sample of men (N = 155) incarcerated in a Midwestern county jail. A financial knowledge assessment, adapted from the FLLIP assessment (Zhan, Anderson, & Scott, 2006), was administered as well as a survey of financial behaviors and criminal history characteristics. Based on responses to the quantitative survey, a theoretical sample of participants (n = 12) was selected to participate in in-depth, qualitative interviews regarding economic socialization to the formal economy, particularly banks. Quantitative analyses revealed that the mean financial knowledge score for the sample …


Division Of Labor And Marital Quality In Russia, Carol Synae Kim Jun 2011

Division Of Labor And Marital Quality In Russia, Carol Synae Kim

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether investigation of the linkages between division of labor and marital quality would produce the same results in Russia that have been found in the U.S. Russian couples (n = 172) participated in the study by answering three packets of questionnaires. The Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale was used to measure each partner's rating of their levels of satisfaction with their marital relationship and their spouse. The results from the structural equation models indicated that the more the wives perceived themselves doing more and expressed dissatisfaction of their spouse's contribution to child care tasks and apartment maintenance, the …


The Influence Of Religion On Immigrant Structural Assimilation In The Greater Los Angeles Area, Jason D. Simons Jun 2011

The Influence Of Religion On Immigrant Structural Assimilation In The Greater Los Angeles Area, Jason D. Simons

Theses and Dissertations

By operationalizing Gordon's definition of structural assimilation, I examine occupational prestige, income, and educational attainment across four immigrant groups: 1.5 generation, 2nd generation, 3rd generation, and 4th generation. Additionally, I analyze the effect of religious affiliation, frequency of attendance, religious conversion, context of reception, and selective acculturation on each of the three measures of structural assimilation. Ethnic origin, gender, and age are implemented as control variables. Results provide evidence that religion does affect measures of structural assimilation. While impacts on occupational prestige and income seem minimal to non-existent, the effect of religion on educational attainment is more substantial. Religion indirectly …


The Impact Of Depression And Health On Sexual Satisfaction For Older Couples, Victoria Celeste Scott Jun 2011

The Impact Of Depression And Health On Sexual Satisfaction For Older Couples, Victoria Celeste Scott

Theses and Dissertations

This study of 535 older married couples examined the relationship between depression and health and sexual satisfaction directly and when mediated by communication. The sample included 535 older couples who completed a survey questionnaire known as Project Couple Retire. Among the items in the questionnaire were measures of depression, health, perception of sexual intimacy, communication and other demographic information. Results from Structural Equation Modeling indicated that for women, health was a significant predictor of sexual satisfaction. For both genders, the results suggest that depression, when mediated by communication, is a predictor of sexual satisfaction among older couples.


Are All Immigrants Criminals? Societal Perceptions Across Select Social Groups, Catherine F. Tindall May 2011

Are All Immigrants Criminals? Societal Perceptions Across Select Social Groups, Catherine F. Tindall

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the perceptions toward immigrant criminality in Utah of four distinct social groups: state legislators, immigrants, law enforcement personnel, and incarcerated immigrants. Each group was examined separately and found to have a variety of perceptions among their members. Themes emerged that provided insight into the overlap and complexity of these differences across social groups. Legislators appeared the most dichotomous: some believed immigration and crime to be positively correlated, especially for undocumented immigrants, while others perceived no such connection. Among immigrants, perceptions were extremely diverse, but generally represented by reference to an unsubstantiated stereotype that immigrants committed crime at …


The Influence Of Profession And Therapy Type For The Cost Effective Treatment Of Sexual Dysfunction, David Fawcett May 2011

The Influence Of Profession And Therapy Type For The Cost Effective Treatment Of Sexual Dysfunction, David Fawcett

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual dysfunctions are serious mental health issues that impact an estimated one in three Americans. Due to the complex, relational nature of most sexual dysfunctions, mental health professionals trained to work with couples and their relationship interactions are likely to have better outcomes when treating clients with sexual dysfunction. Data from CIGNA Health Solutions was analyzed to explore differences in therapy outcome for various types of mental health professions when treating clients with sexual dysfunctions. The current research is a retrospective analysis of administrative data that explores whether or not type of profession (i.e. psychologists, Masters of social work, marriage …


Antecedents Of Parental Psychological Control: A Test Of Bowen's Theory, Spencer D. Bradshaw Apr 2011

Antecedents Of Parental Psychological Control: A Test Of Bowen's Theory, Spencer D. Bradshaw

Theses and Dissertations

Parental psychological control has been found to be associated with both internalized and externalized problems for youth and adolescents. Research contributing to an understanding of the possible antecedents of parental psychological control is both limited and of need; specifically regarding parents' psychological attributes. This study sample included 323 two-parent families and an identified target child from each family. Bowen's theory of family systems, [chronic] stress, and differentiation of self and its relation to parental psychological control was examined. Differentiation of self was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between chronic stress and parental psychological control. Differentiation was conceptualized and measured using …