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Decreased Symptoms Of Depression After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Potential Moderating Effects Of Religiosity, Spirituality, Trait Mindfulness, Sex, And Age, Jeffrey M. Greeson, Moria J. Smoski, Edward C. Suarez, Jeffrey G. Brantley, Andrew G. Ekblad, Thomas R. Lynch, Ruth Quillian Wolever

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Objective: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a secular meditation training program that reduces depressive symptoms. Little is known, however, about the degree to which a participant's spiritual and religious background, or other demographic characteristics associated with risk for depression, may affect the effectiveness of MBSR. Therefore, this study tested whether individual differences in religiosity, spirituality, motivation for spiritual growth, trait mindfulness, sex, and age affect MBSR effectiveness.

Methods: As part of an open trial, multiple regression was used to analyze variation in depressive symptom outcomes among 322 adults who enrolled in an 8-week, community-based MBSR program.

Results: As hypothesized, depressive …

Exploring Bisexual-Identified Persons Experiences Of Belonging, David Pascale-Hague

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Belonging is a basic and fundamental human need (Baumeister, & Leary, 1995) that is associated with psychosocial health (Cohen, 2004). Unfortunately, community belonging is a challenge for those with a bisexual identity. Binegativity, minority stress, and the invisibility of bisexual-identities may interfere with attempts to develop a sense of community belonging (Bradford, 2004). Little systematic research has examined bisexual-identified people’s perceptions and experiences of belonging to a community. This project addressed the question, “What are bisexual individuals’ experiences of community belonging/social exclusion?” Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 12 bisexual-identified persons. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a constructivist …

A Mixed Methods Analysis Of The Family Support Experiences Of Lgbtq Latter-Day Saints, Mckay Stevens Mattingly

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

A burgeoning vein of research assesses links between familial support and psychosocial health among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) individuals. This study is a cross-sectional, multi-method survey that examined these associations in highly religious families. Participants were 587 individuals who identified as LGBTQ, were affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), and were between the ages of 18 and 30. Reports of early support from families were significantly associated with various measures of psychosocial health, more consistently for men than women. In addition, participants provided written narratives in response to an …

The Mental Health Disparity Among Nonheterosexuals: Risk, Resiliency, And New Perspectives To Consider In The Context Of Mormonism, Katherine Ann Crowell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nonheterosexuals disproportionately experience mental illness when compared with heterosexuals. Although it has been well established that the apparent mental health disparity among sexually diverse populations is almost exclusively derived from minority stress (i.e., the excess stress associated with culturally maintained sexual stigma), our understanding of how specific aspects of minority stress lead to specific psychological syndromes (e.g., depression) remains limited. On the other hand, in attempts to destigmatize individuals who do not identify as heterosexual, researchers have increasingly begun to shift the focus of their work towards understanding the specific characteristics or experiences that facilitate individuals’ capacity to adapt and …

The Relationships Between Internalized Heterosexism, Spirituality, And Mental Health In Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Young Adults, Jon Raymond Bourn

Masters Theses

Minority stressors like internalized heterosexism have been found to be related to suicidality among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals (e.g., Savin-Williams & Ream, 2003). Additional research is needed, however, to better understand the factors that may serve as moderators (i.e., protective factors) in the relationships between minority stressors and negative mental health outcomes, such as depression and suicidality (e.g., Szymanski et al., 2008). The current study attempted to examine the relationships between internalized heterosexism and two negative mental health outcomes associated with suicide, psychache (defined as unbearable psychological pain) and depression, in a sample of LGB young adults. Given …

The Predictors Of Calling And The Role Of Career Satisfaction In Working Adults, Kari Ann Leavell

Dissertations

A significant amount of time in adult life is spent working. Individuals enter into their world of work by many circumstances, including feeling called to a given career or viewing their work as a calling. The psychological construct of calling has been shown to have considerable implications for career-related outcomes, including career satisfaction. Further, satisfaction with work has demonstrated a considerable impact on more global areas such as satisfaction with and quality of life, meaning in life, and religiousness. Increased understanding of the construct of calling and its contribution to career development and career-related outcomes can clarify how individuals’ experiences …

How We Understand Intelligence And Why It Makes A Difference : A Literature Review, Maya Golden

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Investigates theories of intelligence and examines the educational implications of contrasting views. Following a personal reflection on the subject, the author conducts an extensive review of the related literature. The author indicates that the quality of a student's educational experience is greatly impacted by the view to which his or her teacher subscribes.

Exploring Religious Bias And Perceptions Of Atheism, Raina Leckie

HIM 1990-2015

Much research focuses on religious bias and in particular the marginalization of Muslims in America. What initially surprised post 9-11 researchers is that participants typically rank atheists lower than Muslims in the areas of private and public trust. Further research is needed to continue to understand the nature and extent of religious-based bias. The present study explores whether a job candidate's religion impacts perception of the candidate's "hireability" and source credibility, including elements of trustworthiness, expertise and attractiveness. Participants were randomly assigned to review an identical version of a resume in which only the implied religion of the candidate was …

Marriage Equality: Media Coverage And Public Opinion, Amanda Studley

Senior Honors Projects

The struggle for equality is nothing new in this country. Every minority group has faced it’s own hardships when trying to advocate for the advancement of their people. One of the most recent struggles has involved the LGBT community and their pursuit of equal marriage laws nationally. Currently the campaign for marriage equality has had success in nine states and the District of Columbia, each of which now grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples. However, thirty states have enacted constitutional bans on same-sex marriage (NCLS 2013). Currently 49% of the population endorses full and equal marriage rights for same sex …

A Study Of Religiosity And Conservatismin Relation To Social Value Orientation And Philanthropy, Jessica Collins

Modern Psychological Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential interdependent relationships between religiosity, conservatism, social value orientation and philanthropy. Participants included members of four religious institutions. A non-experimental survey design was used gather information. Subjects were given a hypothetical task related to social value orientation, two scales of measurement related to religiosity and philanthropy and asked to self-identify their political orientation. Chi Square analysis identified a significant relationship between political orientation and social value orientation. A correlation was found between religiosity and philanthropy within the liberal sample, rather than in the suspected conservative sample. Additionally, a one-way analysis of …

The Relationship Between Essentialism, Religious Beliefs, And Views Of Change, Keshia Porter

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In this study, the relationship between essentialism, religious beliefs, and views of change was investigated. Participants were given surveys containing three sets of items and a demographic questionnaire. Item sets included the Intrinsic/Extrinsic-Revised Scale of Religiosity, the Essentialist Belief Scales, and the Change Vignettes. Results indicated those with gradualist religious views were not more likely to endorse essentialist views when compared to those with conversionist views. Those who essentialized at high levels were not less likely to endorse the possibility of change in comparison to those who essentialized at lower levels. Participants with high levels of extrinsic religiosity were not …

A Humanitarian Perspective On Interracial Interaction Ideologies, Agnieszka Maria Helena Rykaczewska, Michael Olson

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Religiosity, Identity, And Depression In Late Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study, Erin Sandler

Honors Theses and Capstones

In this study, longitudinal associations among religiosity, identity style, identity commitment, and depression were examined in a sample of late adolescents. Online survey data were collected in two waves with an approximate six-week interval. Correlations demonstrated that high levels of negative aspects of religiosity, such as negative religious coping, predicted high levels of depression. Other aspects of religiosity, such as positive religious coping, did not predict depression. In addition, high levels of diffuse-avoidant identity style predicted high levels of depression, and high levels of identity commitment predicted low levels of depression. However, when a regression was performed with all the …

A Call To Prayer: A Cross-Cultural Examination Of Religious Faith, Modesty, And Body Image, Heidi Woofenden

Undergraduate Review

Body image, a multidimensional construct encompassing the perception and evaluation of appearance, was examined in connection with religious faith and modesty of dress in a sample of 291 Jordanian and 189 American women university students. Participants completed the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scales, the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire, and a modesty scale. As hypothesized, Jordanians reported more favorable body image evaluations, greater religious faith, and greater modesty than Americans. Also, religious faith was positively correlated with better body image for both groups. Although religious faith and modesty were weak predictors of better body image, culture was found …

Sexuality Education, Eva Goldfarb, Norman A. Constantine

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Sexuality education comprises the lifelong intentional processes by which people learn about themselves and others as sexual, gendered beings from biological, psychological, and sociocultural perspectives. It takes place through a potentially wide range of programs and activities in schools, community settings, religious centers, as well as informally within families, among peers, and through electronic and other media. Sexuality education for adolescents occurs in the context of the biological, cognitive, and social-emotional developmental progressions and issues of adolescence. Formal sexuality education falls into two main categories: behavior change approaches, which are represented by abstinence-only and abstinence-plus models, and healthy sexual development …

Changes In Spirituality Partly Explain Health-Related Quality Of Life Outcomes After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction., Jeffrey M Greeson, Daniel M Webber, Moria J Smoski, Jeffrey G Brantley, Andrew G Ekblad, Edward C Suarez, Ruth Quillian Wolever

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is a secular behavioral medicine program that has roots in meditative spiritual practices. Thus, spirituality may partly explain Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction outcomes. Participants (N = 279; M (SD) age = 45(12); 75% women) completed an online survey before and after an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis that, following Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, the relationship between enhanced mindfulness and improved health-related quality of life is mediated by increased daily spiritual experiences. Changes in both spirituality and mindfulness were significantly related to improvement in mental health. Although the initial mediation hypothesis …

Religious And Non-Religious Spirituality In Relation To Death Acceptance Or Rejection, Victor G. Cicirelli

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

Meanings of religious and non-religious spirituality are explored, with implications for death acceptance, death rejection, and life extension. In the first of two exploratory studies, 16 elders low on intrinsic religiosity were compared with 116 elders high in religiosity; they differed both in qualitative responses and on death attitudes. In the second, 48 elders were assessed on religious and non-religious spirituality, and compared on attitudes toward death rejection, life extension, and death acceptance. Conclusions were that a sizable minority of elders hold non-religious spirituality beliefs, and these beliefs are related to greater acceptance of life extension and death rejection.

Elders’ Attitudes Toward Extending The Healthy Life Span, Victor G. Cicirelli

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

Despite continuing debate between anti-aging researchers seeking major life span extension and concerned gerontologists and bioethicists, elders’ views have received little research attention. Study aimed to relate elders’ attitudes toward strong life span extension to psychosocial and background factors. Participants were 109 American elders (65% women) aged 60-99 (M = 77.08, SD = 9.05). Measures included attitudes toward living long and living forever, Desired Age, Death Acceptance, Goal Seeking, Internality, and background variables (age, gender, marital status, education, religion, health). Attitudes were more positive toward an extended life span than living forever (p < .01). In regression analyses, more positive attitudes were related to greater Desired Age, less Death Acceptance, greater Goal Seeking, and greater Internality, and to lower age and non-Christian religious affiliation. Qualitative analyses explored goals for various periods of additional life. Elders’ positive attitudes toward extended life need consideration by experts debating this issue.

Walking In Two Worlds: Living An Animistic Spiritual Worldview In The Western United States, Joanne Dorpat Halverson

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

An abundance of culturally derived ideological influences inform our lives. The dominant culture exerts a powerful influence on understandings of reality. For some people, their spiritual way of being in the world deviates from cultural norms. In this qualitative study I sought to understand the lived experience of people who hold an animistic spiritual worldview and yet function well within society. They walk in two worlds. The research design employed both phenomenological and heuristic methods. To understand the socio-cultural-historical context of the study a lengthy background was provided. Six individuals who self-identified as adhering to animistic spirituality living on the …

Long-Term Relationships Between Religiousness And Posttraumatic Stress Response Following Resource Loss From Hurricane Katrina, Amy Katherine Chamberlain

Dissertations

The experience of living through Hurricane Katrina and the resulting losses incurred from the storm have had lasting effects on residents of the United States Gulf Coast. One way in which survivors of Hurricane Katrina have attempted to cope with the resulting stress of such loss is through religious means. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of resource loss on the resulting stress reactions for survivors, particularly in light of the impact religiosity, religious social support, and religious coping have on long-term stress responses to the disaster. Literature shows that these religious factors have been found …

Signified Honkey: Stories In The Key Of White, William Ryan Blosser

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The following project feels like a risk. From the opening line of my paper to the final section, the reader will notice that I have chosen to stray from the traditional counseling research project and instead opted for an approach both personal and interdisciplinary as a means of exploring the topic of White privilege. My approach can best be summed up as auto ethnographic and in using this approach have tried to discover and remain true to my own voice throughout the narrative. The reader may find this voice to be sharp at times, including profanity and a degree of …

The Quest Of A Lifetime : How The First Year Of University Of Richmond Life Affects Student's Spirituality And Religiosity, Melanie Martin

Honors Theses

First year university students’ religious and spiritual beliefs and attitudes were investigated over the course of the year. The survey used was largely made up of a subset of questions from the CSBV survey created by HERI and adapted and administered via Survey Monkey software to 153 first year students in the Fall Semester and 74 first year students in the Spring Semester at the University of Richmond. Students pray less and self-reflect more, are more likely to agree that the universe arose by chance, less likely to believe that ‘only religion can truly explain existence’, less likely to find …

Psychological Care For Persons Of Diverse Religions: A Collaborative Continuum, Glen Milstein, Anne Marie Yali

Publications and Research

The purpose of this paper is to describe to psychologists and other clinicians a continuum of mental health care for persons of diverse religions. The continuum delineates boundaries between clinical care provided by mental health professionals and religious care provided by clergy, as well as describes pathways of collaboration across these boundaries. A prevention science based model of Clergy Outreach and Professional Engagement (COPE) is offered to guide this collaboration. The model describes a continuum that moves from the care already present in religious communities, through professional clinical care provided in response to dysfunction and returns persons to their own …

Relational Spirituality, Part 1 Paradise Unbound: Cosmic Hybridity And Spiritual Narcissism In The “One Truth” Of New Age Transpersonalism, Gregg Lahood

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Cosmological hybridization, a process in which spiritual paradises are bound together, is

highly active in American religious culture. Beginning with an early Christianized version of

the Buddha, this religious Creolization gathered speed after WWII and peaked during the

Vietnam War, leading to a complex spiritual revolution in which transcendence became an

all important orientation. This revolution set the scene for the emergence of a non-relational

transpersonal psychology in which Americanized nondualism gained ascendency. It is argued

here that popular New Age transpersonalism traps the spirit, breeding a self-serving, Selfas-

everything form of spiritual narcissism. Given that some are calling the …

Experiences Of Christian Clients In Secular Psychotherapy : A Qualitative Investigation, Carrie Lynn Cragun

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

According to several authors, many Christians are skeptical of psychology and fear that their religious beliefs will be misunderstood, unappreciated, ridiculed, or eroded in secular therapy (King, 1978). The purpose of the present discovery-oriented study was to understand Christian clients' phenomenological experiences in secular therapy.

Perceiving Sacredness In Life: Correlates And Predictors, Carrie Doehring, Ann Clarke, Kenneth I. Pargament, Alice Hayes, Dean Hammer, Markos Nickolas, Patricia Hughes

Kenneth I Pargament

Building on research demonstrating relationships between well being and perceptions of aspects of life as sacred, this study describes the rationale for and development of a scale measuring perceiving sacredness in life. It then explores associations between perceptions of sacredness in life and these four domains: religious/spiritual (intrinsic/extrinsic religiosity, quest, mysticism, religious/spiritual history, worship attendance, frequency of prayer, importance of religion/spirituality), personal (purpose in life, commitment to empiricism, narcissism, self esteem, relational attachment), social (community service attitude and helping, social support, imagination tutoring), and situational (enjoyment and frequency of everyday pleasant events, impact of negative events, positive childhood recollections). Participants …

The Influence Of Adult Attachment Styles On Coping With Bereavement, Sarah Wice

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the associations between adult attachment style, coping style, religious beliefs, and experiences with grief. Participants from local bereavement and religious groups completed questionnaires about these constructs.

Hyp. 1-2 predicted that greater endorsement of Secure and Dismissingly Avoidant attachment styles would be associated with less Subjective Distress. Results partially supported these hypotheses. Hyp. 3-6 predicted that the relationship between a Substitute Attachment Figure and adult attachment style would be associated with religious beliefs. Results did not support these hypotheses. Hyp. 7-9 predicted that greater endorsement of Secure and Dismissingly Avoidant attachment styles would be associated with more problem …

The Importance Of Exercise And Dimension Factors In Assessment Centers: Simultaneous Examinations Of Construct-Related And Criterion-Related Validity, Filip Lievens, Stephan Dilchert, Deniz S. Ones

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study presents a simultaneous examination of multiple evidential bases of the validity of assessment center (AC) ratings. In particular, we combine both construct-related and criterion-related validation strategies in the same sample to determine the relative importance of exercises and dimensions. We examine the underlying structure of ACs in terms of exercise and dimension factors while directly linking these factors to a work-related criterion (salary). Results from an AC (N = 753) showed that exercise factors not only explained more variance in AC ratings than dimension factors but also were more important in predicting salary. Dimension factors explained a smaller …

A Quantitative Review And Analysis Of The Constructs Underlying Assessment Center Ratings: What Are We Measuring?, John P. Meriac

Doctoral Dissertations

The overarching goal of this study was to clarify what constructs are being measured by assessment centers (ACs). ACs have been used and studied for years, yet have measurement problems that generally center on the use of information at the dimension-level. However, a necessary step in examining this issue has been neglected: a proper delineation of what constructs ACs actually measure. In an attempt to address this issue, this study‟s primary purpose was to explore the factor structure of AC dimensions. Several a priori models from both the AC and job performance literature were examined as frameworks for explicating the …

An Exploration Of The Relationships Among Religious Orientation, Object Relations, And Positive Adjustment, Scott Robert Brown

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Many studies have found positive relationships between religion and mental health. This study explored the relationships between Religious Orientations, Positive Adjustment, and Object Relations. Intrinsics live by their religion, whereas Extrinsics use their religion for other ends (Allport & Ross, 1967), and Questers explore religion (Batson & Schoenrade, 1991a, 1991b). Positive Adjustment, a latent variable, consisted of Life Satisfaction (Pavot & Diener, 1993), Hope (Snyder, Harris, et al., 1991), Optimism (Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994), and Flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975b, 1982). Object Relations refers to an individual’s interpersonal dynamics and attachment style (Rizzuto, 1979; Winnicott, 1971) and were posited to play …