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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Relationship Of Minority Stress With The Mental Health Of Lgbtq College Students On A Christian Campus With Non-Affirming Policies, Ethan Nicholas Smetana
The Relationship Of Minority Stress With The Mental Health Of Lgbtq College Students On A Christian Campus With Non-Affirming Policies, Ethan Nicholas Smetana
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
One foundational concept of the Minority Stress Model (Meyer, 2003) is that the stress is based on persisting social processes and structures. Consequently, research to further the available pool of empirical evidence on how institutions based in the dominant culture affect minorities is needed and valuable. This study seeks to examine the effects of dimensions of minority stress on the mental health outcomes of LGBTQ students at a Christian university with a non-affirming school policy. Further, this study is interested in how gratitude affects the impact that minority stress has on mental health as a potential protective factor. Participants were …
Improving Veterans’ Psychological Well-Being With A Positive Psychology Gratitude Exercise, Clara Im Adkins
Improving Veterans’ Psychological Well-Being With A Positive Psychology Gratitude Exercise, Clara Im Adkins
Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations
The demand for therapeutic services and effective counseling interventions aimed at rehabilitating veterans has increased exponentially over the past thirty years. Veterans with PTSD symptoms experience several problems including, relationship issues, lower life satisfaction, suicidal ideation, isolation, and comorbid diagnoses. Current research on veterans diagnosed with PTSD suggests integrating wellness and strength-based approaches aimed at developing positive psychology characteristics into clinical services for veterans. Gratitude is a core construct in positive psychology and has been practiced in cultures all over the world. Gratitude journal interventions have been proven to increase well-being, positive affect, social relationships, optimism, life satisfaction, and lower …
A General Education Course Designed To Cultivate College Student Well-Being, Jessica C. Davis
A General Education Course Designed To Cultivate College Student Well-Being, Jessica C. Davis
Dissertations, 2020-current
Mental health issues appear to be on the rise across our world, especially within the college student population. Considerable data suggests that today’s students have lower rates of well-being and healthy psychological functioning and higher rates of distress, fragility, and clinically significant mental health problems than seen in previous generations. These findings have led some scholars to define this trend as a college mental health crisis. The purpose of this study was to respond to this crisis via the development and administration of a well-being general education course conceptually grounded in Henriques’ Unified Framework of psychology and psychotherapy (see, Henriques, …
Development Of The Sexual Minority Affirmative Practice Scale, Ryan Craig Ebersole
Development Of The Sexual Minority Affirmative Practice Scale, Ryan Craig Ebersole
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Literature on the practice of affirmative psychotherapy with sexual minority (SM) clients has steadily increased over the past two decades in recognition of the unique experiences and mental health needs of this marginalized population. SM-affirmative psychotherapy is an approach to psychotherapy that is culturally-responsive, actively affirms the validity of SM identities and experiences, and promotes the resilience of SM clients in the face of stigma. To date, much of the extant research on SM-affirmative psychotherapy has focused on therapist factors and perspectives. Further, most previous research on SM clients’ experiences in therapy has been qualitative, due in part to the …
Positive Experiences Among Dui Offenders In Court-Mandated Substance Abuse Treatment, Katarzyna Blanka Pilewicz
Positive Experiences Among Dui Offenders In Court-Mandated Substance Abuse Treatment, Katarzyna Blanka Pilewicz
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and other drugs puts communities' and individuals' safety at tremendous risk. The excessive use of alcohol, illicit drugs, and/or some prescribed medications causes cognitive impairment and the physical incapability of operating a vehicle. The court system penalizes drunken driving behaviors by placing DUI offenders in a variety of mandated interventions to minimize the risk of reoffense. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore DUI offenders' positive experiences and perceptions derived from DUI programs and how they impacted well-being and commitment to positive change using Seligman's well-being theory as a conceptual framework. …
Heterosexist Discrimination And Lgbq Activism: Examining A Moderated Mediation Model, Trevor Lee Dunn
Heterosexist Discrimination And Lgbq Activism: Examining A Moderated Mediation Model, Trevor Lee Dunn
Doctoral Dissertations
Although the negative outcomes of heterosexist discrimination have been well researched in the psychological literature, positive coping mechanisms and outcomes, such as engagement in activism aimed at improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) individuals, are understudied. The present study examined potential mediators (i.e., LGBQ relational connectedness, search for meaning, and heterosexism awareness), moderators (i.e., LGBQ identity centrality and perceived efficacy for collective action), and moderated mediation of the link between heterosexist discrimination and activism among 867 LGBQ adults. Results revealed that heterosexist discrimination was directly and indirectly (via search for meaning and heterosexism awareness) related to …
“The Best Thing That’S Happened In My Life”: The Journey Toward Acceptance Of One’S Lgbtq Child In A Sample Of Cuban-Americans And Puerto Ricans, Roberto Luis Abreu
“The Best Thing That’S Happened In My Life”: The Journey Toward Acceptance Of One’S Lgbtq Child In A Sample Of Cuban-Americans And Puerto Ricans, Roberto Luis Abreu
Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology
Acceptance by a parental figure is one of the most important protective factors for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) youth and young adults (e.g., Ryan, 2009, 2010). Lack of parental acceptance may lead to a disruption in parent-child relationships and may increase risk for maladaptive behaviors and poorer psychosocial outcomes in LGBTQ youth (e.g., Bouris et al., 2010). Researchers have called for more inclusive samples and methods to better understand the experiences of families from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds (e.g., Heatherington & Lavner 2008). Specific to Latinas/os, cultural factors and theoretically informed interventions that facilitate parental acceptance …
Pathways From Childhood Abuse To Positive Adapation: The Moderating Roles Of Social Support And Coping Style, Sarah Elizabeth Cleary
Pathways From Childhood Abuse To Positive Adapation: The Moderating Roles Of Social Support And Coping Style, Sarah Elizabeth Cleary
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Studies show that up to 50% of children worldwide are affected by physical, emotional, sexual abuse and/or neglect. While these traumatic events can have profound consequences on development across the lifespan, it is important to note that approximately 20-30% of childhood abuse survivors do not report negative impacts. One explanation for this difference in outcomes is the concept of resilience, defined as successful adaptation in spite of the experience of high-risk trauma. Many studies have been conducted to delineate factors fostering resilience. Some researchers argue that individuals' ability to achieve resilience is a direct result of the environment, while others …
Adult Development Of Positive Personality Traits Through Character Formation Mentoring, Robert Mark Colborn
Adult Development Of Positive Personality Traits Through Character Formation Mentoring, Robert Mark Colborn
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Positive psychologists have published hundreds of empirical studies correlating positive personality traits with improved outcomes in mental health, physical health, academic and career success, resilience, relationships, and personal happiness. But there remains a dearth of research on the emergence and development of positive personality traits. This grounded theory, qualitative research sought to discover whether positive personality traits can be developed in adult mentoring relationships. Sixteen participants responded in structured interviews about the benefits of their mentoring experiences, and in addition to performing coding analysis as described by Strauss and Corbin (1990), the researcher also compared the answers to Peterson and …
Four Virtues: Interventions For Goodness' Sake, Caroline Lavelock
Four Virtues: Interventions For Goodness' Sake, Caroline Lavelock
Theses and Dissertations
Empirical interest in promoting virtues has dramatically increased over the last decade. The present study will focus primarily on the warmth-based virtues of forgiveness and humility, and the conscientiousness-based virtues of patience and self-control. I introduced participants (N = 135) to a workbook intended to promote one of these four virtues, or to promote general positivity for participants in a workbook control condition. I hypothesized that virtue workbooks would produce higher levels of the target virtue, more so than in both a non-action control condition (n = 33) and in a control condition that completes a workbook that promotes general …
An Exploration Of The State-Trait Continuum In Counseling And Positive Psychology, Michael A. Keefer
An Exploration Of The State-Trait Continuum In Counseling And Positive Psychology, Michael A. Keefer
Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations
Counselors value remaining positive in the face of adversity. Consequently, positive psychology has placed an emphasis on uncovering how long-enduring positive traits (e.g., hope, wisdom, and creativity) can be developed from short-term positive states. This search has resulted in positive psychology's conceptualization of a state-trait continuum. This study explores the state-trait continuum by examining possible quantitative relationships between a state instrument (the Learning Environment Preferences) and a trait instrument (the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). Research question 1 found a significant predictive relationship between two MBTI scales (S-N and J-P) and the LEP's cognitive complexity index. Research question 2 found a significant …
Adolescent Males' Similarity, Emotional Safety, And Change In Strengths-Based Programming, Wendy Elaine Viola
Adolescent Males' Similarity, Emotional Safety, And Change In Strengths-Based Programming, Wendy Elaine Viola
Dissertations and Theses
In recent decades, the use of strengths-based approaches has become increasingly popular in youth intervention and prevention programs (Maton et al., 2004), which emphasize creating emotionally safe environments through the process of relational community building (Maton, 2000). However, relatively little is known about the relationship between group composition, specifically similarity between group members, and emotional safety and program efficacy. This thesis examines the relationship between adolescent males' similarity to their peers in terms of their demographic profiles and behaviors and belief systems, experiences of emotional safety, and changing behaviors and belief systems in a strengths-based intervention program within Ohio juvenile …
The Influence Of The Character Strengths Of Gratitude And Kindness On Subjective Well-Being, Tracy Harper Dossett
The Influence Of The Character Strengths Of Gratitude And Kindness On Subjective Well-Being, Tracy Harper Dossett
Doctoral Dissertations
The relationship between the character strengths of gratitude, kindness and factors of subjective well-being was explored, and the influence of personality factors on this relationship was examined. In this research, participants were assigned to an experimental or control group and completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SLS), Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), Positive Affectivity and Negative Affectivity Scale (PANAS), International Personality Item Pool Values in Action Gratitude and Kindness Scales (VIA-Gratitude, and VIA Kindness), Mini-International Personality Item Pool (IPIP), and Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, Form C. For two weeks, participants in the gratitude group kept a daily gratitude list, and those …