Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Rudd Chair Annual Report 2017, Harold D. Grotevant

Rudd Adoption Research Program Annual Reports

2017 report from the Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology.

Rudd Chair Annual Report 2016, Harold D. Grotevant

Rudd Adoption Research Program Annual Reports

2016 report from the Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology.

Rudd Chair Annual Report 2015, Harold D. Grotevant

Rudd Adoption Research Program Annual Reports

2015 report from the Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology.

Ingos In The Mirror: Critical Reflections Of Practitioners Implementing Psychosocial Support Programs, Stephen M. Richardson

Master's Capstone Projects

The purpose of this qualitative research is to learn from the professional wisdom of practitioners involved in implementing school-based psychosocial support in conflict-affected contexts. Practitioners from four different International Non-governmental Organizations (INGO) working in three different contexts—the Congo Basin region, the South Asia region, and the Sudan region—reflect on the concepts and realities of the psychosocial support models that their organizations use. A common theme emerging from these interviews is that the approach to psychosocial support has the potential to do harm. The practitioners provide real examples of the ways in which harm may occur and their possible causes. These …

"You Were Adopted?!": An Exploratory Analysis Of Microaggressions Experienced By Adolescent Adopted Individuals, Karin J. Garber

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Sue et al. (2007, p. 271) define a microaggression as: “Brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative…slights and insults towards [the marginalized group].” Microaggressions have not been used to analyze the experiences of adoptees in a bionormative society. A total of 156 interviews (males=75, females=81) and questionnaires of White adolescent adoptees in same-race families were analyzed using a mixed methods design. Study 1 used thematic analysis to discover 16 themes of microaggressions. Study 2 used the microaggression as the unit of analysis in chi squares to determine if …

Rudd Chair Annual Report 2014, Harold D. Grotevant

Rudd Adoption Research Program Annual Reports

2014 report from the Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology.

Patient Interpersonal And Cognitive Changes In Relation To Outcome In Interpersonal Psychotherapy For Depression, Samantha L. Bernecker

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Despite evidence for the efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for depression, there remains little understanding of its specific change-promoting ingredients. This study aimed to establish candidate change mechanisms by identifying whether patients’ interpersonal (theory-specific) and cognitive (theory-nonspecific) characteristics change in an adaptive direction during IPT, and whether such changes differentially relate to depression reduction and improvement in global functioning. The four interpersonal variables and one cognitive variable measured all changed significantly in an adaptive direction, with medium to large effect sizes. Reduced interpersonal problems were marginally associated with self-reported depression reduction (β = 2.846, p = .062), and greater …

Associations Of Childhood Family Adversity And Pubertal Timing With Depressive Symptomotology In Adulthood, Jeffrey P. Winer

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

To date, no prior research has examined the combined roles of childhood family adversity and pubertal timing in longitudinal pathways to depressive symptomatology in adulthood. The present study was conducted with 225 men and 225 women to explore the unique and combined roles of childhood family adversity and pubertal timing on depressive symptoms in a community sample of married adults. Results for both men and women indicated significant main effects of a cumulatively risky family environment on depressive symptoms, as well as main effects of families with higher levels of abuse and neglect, chaos and disorganization, and interpersonal family conflict. …

Rudd Chair Annual Report, 2013, Harold D. Grotevant

Rudd Adoption Research Program Annual Reports

2013 report from the Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology. Includes information on community partnerships, goals reached, communications, teaching, mentoring, and service.

Dishes And Diapers: The Division Of Labor And Marital Quality Across The Transition To Parenthood, Katherine E. Newkirk

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This study examines relationships between the division of housework and childcare and marital love and conflict and perceived fairness as a mediator of those relationships. Gender role ideology is also examined as a moderator of the relationships between the division of labor predictors and perceived fairness. To this end 112 working-class, dual-earner couples having their first child were interviewed at three time points during the first year of parenthood after mothers returned to work. Findings indicate that wives’ reported greater marital love when their husbands performed more housework and more childcare, with fairness as a mediator of those relations. Husbands’ …

The Role Of Family Routines And Rituals In The Psychological Well Being Of Emerging Adults, Yesel Yoon

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Adolescence and emerging adulthood are both critical transition phases wrought with developmental changes and challenges. One of the major developmental tasks that families of children, adolescents and emerging adults deal with is facilitating the development of emotion regulation. The practices that families engage in that attempt to create order and stability within the family—their routines and rituals—may be one key family variable that helps develop better emotion regulation. Family routines and rituals tend to create a more stable environment, which in turn may predict better outcomes for individuals (Crespo, Davide, Costa & Fletcher, 2008; Fiese, 2007; Leon & Jacobvitz, 2003). …

Rudd Chair Annual Report, 2011, Harold D. Grotevant

Rudd Adoption Research Program Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Parenting And Parent Predictors Of Changes In Child Behavior Problems, Marianne H. Tichovolsky

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Behavior problems are common during early childhood, and while many children will outgrow them, others will continue to have substantial difficulties. Unfortunately, too little is known about which children will exhibit continued difficulties, making it difficult to intervene before maladaptive behavior becomes entrenched. A number of parenting and parent characteristics, including ineffective discipline, maternal depression, parenting stress, and limited social support have consistently been found to be associated with externalizing problems in young children. While these variables are concurrently related to behavior problems, we know very little about whether or not they predict change in externalizing behaviors over time. The …

Patient Outcome Expectations And Credibility Beliefs As Predictors Of The Alliance And Treatment Outcome, Rebecca M. Ametrano

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The clinical relevance of patients’ psychotherapy outcome expectations has been substantiated by a fairly robust correlational literature. Furthermore, as a related yet distinct construct, patients’ treatment credibility beliefs have also been associated with positive treatment outcomes. Addressing several methodological limitations of past research, the current study examined the influence on early adaptive process (patient-psychotherapist alliance quality) and early treatment outcome (patient distress level) of patients’ outcome expectations and credibility beliefs, measured both statically and dynamically with a psychometrically sound self-report instrument. Patients were 110 adult outpatients receiving naturalistically delivered psychotherapy in a community mental health training clinic. The primary research …

The Behavioral Effects Of Increased Physical Activity On Preschoolers At Risk For Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Jasmin L. Roberts

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Physical activity (PA) has many health benefits, both physical and psychological. PA has been linked to improved cognitive functioning, superior overall health, and enhanced emotional well-being in populations ranging from school-age children to older adults. There has been less research, however, examining the benefits of PA in atypical preschool populations.

The present study examined the efficacy of a PA intervention in preschool-aged children at risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD symptomatology, response inhibition, and physical activity were measured at three time points over a 6-month period. Results provide support for the efficacy of PA as an alleviative tool …

Beyond Race And Ethnicity: Predictors Of Maternal Depressive Symptoms Across The Transition To Parenthood, Aya Kwegyirba-Kaiser Ghunney

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This study investigated whether ethnic identity, financial and educational resources, and social support predicted levels and trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms above and beyond racial and ethnic categories. A sample of Black, Latina, and White working class mothers were interviewed at five time points during the first year of parenthood. Findings indicated that Latina mothers experienced significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to Black mothers at the final time point. There was a significant interaction between race and ethnic identity in predicting symptoms such that Latino mothers saw an increase in the growth rate of symptoms compared to White …

Rudd Chair Annual Report, 2010, Harold D. Grotevant

Rudd Adoption Research Program Annual Reports

The second annual report of the Rudd Adoption Research Program.

Countertransference Behavior And Alliance Quality As A Function Of Therapist Self-Insight, Mamta B. Dadlani

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The current study investigated preliminarily therapists’ countertransference (CT) behavior and alliance quality as a function of therapist self-insight, a central CT management factor. Eight therapist-trainees were rated by a clinical supervisor on their degree of self-insight and then assigned to a high or low self-insight group. The groups were compared on therapist CT behavior, from both therapist and supervisor perspectives, and on patient-perceived alliance quality. Effect size estimates suggested that high self-insight therapists displayed more CT behaviors than low self-insight therapists (with small to medium effects), and that patients of high self-insight therapists reported higher alliance scores (with a medium …

What Went Wrong? Therapists' Reflections On Their Role In Premature Termination, Alessandro T. Piselli

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Consensual Qualitative Research methodology was used to explore how experienced therapists understood and learned from cases of premature termination. Eleven board certified therapists participated in semi-structured interviews concerning a case of a former client who had left treatment prematurely. They offered their reflections on the client’s presentation, the structure of the treatment, successful aspects of the therapy, problems in the treatment, the process of termination, and the impact on their own professional development. Core ideas were identified in each interview, and were cross-referenced to highlight the most common experiences described by the therapists. Premature terminations resulted from multiple, concurrent problems …

Family Predictors Of Negative Instability In Adopted Emerging Adults, Danila S. Musante

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This study evaluated the associations between filial relationships and young adults’ adjustment to the period of emerging adulthood in adoptive families. Adopted individuals’ attachment to their adoptive parents and affect about adoption were assessed at adolescence and young adulthood and compared with their feelings of negative instability about the period of emerging adulthood. Findings demonstrate that affect about adoption and attachment to each parent during adolescence and emerging adulthood are associated with negative instability in emerging adulthood. Specifically, individuals whose attachment to each parent and affect about their adoption remained high from adolescence to emerging adulthood had the lowest ratings …

Adult Theories And Techniques Of Psychotherapy, 2009, Michael Constantino

Graduate Training

The goal of this seminar is to provide clinical psychology graduate students with a thorough foundation regarding the nature, history, evolution, and current status of the adult psychotherapy field from theoretical, empirical, and clinical perspectives.

Adoptee Information Seeking: Changes Between Adolescence And Emerging Adulthood And The Impact Of Adoption Communicative Openness, Brooke Alison Skinner-Drawz

Rudd Adoption Research Program Dissertations from UMass Amherst

This dissertation examined changes in information seeking intentions and behaviors between adolescence and emerging adulthood for a group of adoptees who did not have direct contact with birth relatives in adolescence. Associations between information seeking in emerging adulthood and life cycle events typical of emerging adulthood, gender, and Adoption Communicative Openness were also examined. Data from 119 adoptees and their adoptive mothers were used from Waves 2 (1996-2000) and 3 (2005-2008) of the Minnesota-Texas Adoption Research Project (Grotevant & McRoy, 1998). Degree of information seeking between adolescence (Wave 2) and emerging adulthood (Wave 3) increased for the majority of adoptees …

The Efforts Of Therapists In The First Session To Establish A Therapeutic Alliance, Gregory H. Macewan

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Although the therapeutic alliance is known to be a principal therapeutic factor, little attention has focused on therapists’ perspectives on the impact of the first session on the development of the therapeutic alliance. The present study is a qualitative exploration of interviews with ten therapists regarding the first session and their efforts to establish a therapeutic alliance with their new clients. The data were analyzed using Clara Hill’s Consensual Qualitative Research paradigm (CQR). In considering Bordin’s (1979) three components of the alliance (tasks, goals, bond), therapists viewed the bond as the most influential contributor to the development of the alliance …

Parenting Style Discrepancies: A Comparison Of Inter-Ethnic And Intra-Ethnic Couples, Dhara Thakar

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Parenting and family interactions are thought to play a critical role in children’s development and are often key targets in clinical interventions for children with behavioral problems. Multiple factors are thought to determine patterns of parenting behavior including child and parent characteristics as well as broader social and cultural factors (Abidin, 1992; Belsky, 1984; Maccoby, 1992). Because culture is thought to influence parenting, it is possible that inter-ethnic couples may experience a greater discrepancy than intra-ethnic couples in their parenting styles, but research considering the role of different cultural backgrounds and parenting has been sparse. The current study examined whether …

Many Faces Of Openness In Adoption: Perspectives Of Adopted Adolescents And Their Parents, Harold D. Grotevant, Gretchen Miller Wrobel, Lynn Von Korff, Brooke Skinner, Jane Newell, Sarah Friese, Ruth G. Mcroy

Rudd Publications

Parents and adolescents (mean age, 15.7 years) from 177 adoptive families participating in the second wave of the Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project were interviewed about their post-adoption contact arrangements. The sample included families with no contact, stopped contact, contact without meetings, and contact with face-to-face meetings between the adolescent and birth mother. Openness arrangements were dynamic, and different openness arrangements were associated with different experiences and feelings. Adoptive families with contact reported having higher levels of satisfaction about their openness arrangements, experiencing more positive feelings about the birth mother, and possessing more factual and personal knowledge about the birth mother …

The International Adoption Project: Population-Based Surveillance Of Minnesota Parents Who Adopted Children Internationally., Wendy L. Hellerstedt, Nikki J. Madsen, Megan R. Gunnar, Harold D. Grotevant, Richard M. Lee, Dana E. Johnson

Rudd Publications

OBJECTIVES:

To conduct the first population-based surveillance in the United States of parents who adopted children from countries outside of the United States.

METHODS:

A 556-item survey was mailed to 2,977 parents who finalized an international adoption in Minnesota between January 1990 and December 1998; 1,834 (62%) parents returned a survey.

RESULTS:

Eighty-eight percent of the parents reported transracial adoptions (97% of the parents were white); 57% of the adopted children were Asian; 60% were female; and on average, the children were 18 months-old at the time of placement. Only 15% of the parents reported household annual incomes less than …

Cultural Socialization In Families With Internationally Adopted Children, Richard M. Lee, Harold D. Grotevant, Wendy L. Hellerstedt, Megan R. Gunnar, Minnesota International Adoption Project Team

Rudd Publications

Cultural socialization attitudes, beliefs, and parenting behaviors were examined in families with internationally adopted children. The authors hypothesized that parents with lower color-blind racial attitudes would be more likely to engage in enculturation and racialization parenting behaviors because they hold stronger beliefs in the value and importance of cultural socialization. Using data from the Minnesota International Adoption Project, the results support this mediation model of cultural socialization. Individual variations in cultural socialization also are discussed in terms of child development and shifting adoption attitudes and practices.