Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Clinical Homework Directives: A Qualitative Exploratory Study, Emil F. Harker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A qualitative study was conducted to better understand how marriage and family therapists use homework directives in their work with couples. Eleven therapists of different marital therapy orientations were interviewed. Remarkably, all of the therapists reported using clinical homework directives in their practice with couples, including those clinicians who primarily identify themselves with psychodynamic models- -models that do not typically include homework in their constructs. Four themes emerged as to why homework is given: (a) to augment or extend the therapy session outside of therapy, (b) to help the clients focus on the therapy process between session, (c) to assess …

Mentoring At-Risk Youth: An Intervention For Skill Building In Problem Solving, Decision Making, And Conflict Resolution, Deborah J. Heater

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Low interpersonal skill level in younger youth has shown to lead to higher rates of delinquent behavior in older adolescents. Utah State University Extension established a program titled Youth and Families with Promise (YFP). This is a research-based mentoring program where mentors were screened, matched to individual youth, and activities planned that focus on 8 of the Search Institute's 40 assets. The program provided services for 156 at-risk youth ages 7 to 16 in six Utah counties, 66 of whom completed a pretest and posttest assessment. This research-based, intervention/prevention program has shown that the interventions used were effective in building …

Transitions During University Life: Academic Persistence For Married And Single Students, Sandra A. Krambule

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to look at the many factors that influence the transition to college life and academic persistence within the family life cycle framework using the ABCD-XYZ model of resource management. The sample included 348 students with declared minors within the College of Family Life. The dependent measure was student persistence in college. Independent variables included academic and institutional factors, gender and marital factors, family academic traditions, student motivation and commitment, self-esteem, stress factors, and social support. The results of this study indicate that the persistence variables chosen were better able to predict those who remain in school …

Preparation For Caregiving By Parents Of Children With Disabilities: An Exploratory Study, Mcarthur Hafen Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Older adults who provide care for an adult child with a disability have rarely been considered in the planning and preparation literature. As they grow older, these adults face the challenge of arranging care for their dependent children and for themselves. This study investigated influences on planning for one's own future care.

Results indicated that parents who prepared for their adult child's future care were more likely to prepare for their own care. When compared to adults without a dependent child, parents caring for an adult child with a disability were equally likely to plan for their own future care.

Factors Predictive Of Commitment To Invest In Marriage, Randy A. Gilchrist

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research for this thesis investigated factors predictive of how committed married couples are to make positive efforts for their marriage. Respondents consisted of 72 husbands and wives from a semi-urban area. For each gender, correlations were conducted between marital commitment to invest and egalitarian ism, decision-making power, and conflict communication style. Finally, regress ions were conducted with these measures and nine demographic variables.

As projected, commitment to invest in marriage correlated negatively with husband demand-withdrawal communication and positively with husband and wife mutually constructive communication. The stepwise regression predicting husband commitment to invest included demand-withdrawal communication and total months knowing …

Student Stress: An Analysis Of Stress Levels Associated With Higher Education In The Social Sciences, Darcy A. Keady

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A university sample of 238 undergraduate and graduate students between the ages of 19 and 58 completed the Student Stress Measure. Specifically, upper-division undergraduate students and clinical/nonclinical graduate students in social science programs (FHD, Social Work, Sociology, Psychology) were measured for stress level differences due to their particular academic requirements.

Results indicate that, overall, graduate students are more stressed than undergraduate students. Of the graduate students, Sociology students were most stressed in terms of Lifestyle stress scores. The comparison of clinical and non-clinical graduate students shows that there is no difference in stress levels. The Psychology and MFT graduate student …

Adolescent Protective Factor Attainment: An Exploratory Study Of Two Select Populations, Victor W. Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eighty-four adolescents responded to the survey administered for this study. Thirty-eight members were from the nonadjudicated community sample (e.g., from a semirural Utah community); 46 members of a juvenile court adjudicated group (e.g., juveniles from Cache County, Utah, who were currently on probation) also responded to a paper-pencil survey asking about protective/deficit factors and involvement in problematic behaviors.

Results illustrate the differences in levels of protective/deficit factors and problem behaviors attained between these two convenience samples for a number of variables. The findings showed that the nonadjudicated group consistently reported higher levels of protective factors and lower levels of problem …

Parenting Stress And Social Support Among Married And Divorced At-Risk Mothers, Sondra Moe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The stress parents feel affects how they fulfill their roles as parents and their own psychological well-being. Social support has been shown to help parents deal with the demands of their parenting roles while maintaining psychological health. Compared to married parents, divorced mothers are most at risk for parenting stress and negative feelings of well-being. Low-income can add further to the levels of stress in parenting and increase the need for sources of social support.

This study compared low-income divorced mothers to low-income married mothers. It explored mothers' perceptions of the stresses of parenting and feelings of wellbeing in relation …

4-H Contest Winners In Utah: Risk And Protective Factors, Ann E. Henderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study describes levels of asset development and involvement in at-risk behaviors among 4-H youth. To collect the data, 202 4-H teens participating in the 1996 Utah State 4-H Contests completed surveys. Results reveal numerous differences between males and females. Females scored significantly higher on 18 of 29 assets. Males reported significantly higher levels of involvement on 8 of 10 at-risk behaviors. Significant differences existed between types of 4-H clubs on 4 of 29 assets and 1 of 10 at-risk behaviors. No significant differences were found based on grade in school, years in 4-H, number of 4-H project areas, and …

The Emergence And Function Of Family Rituals In The American Family, John M. Kirkman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 1950 Bossard and Boll published their pioneering work on family rituals entitled Ritual in Family Living. Since then, numerous researchers have examined family rituals using various research designs. This study was done in the tradition of Bossard and Boll by closely examining the personal written accounts of 493 college-age students from a western university. Comparisons were made between the current sample and the sample of Bossard and Boll. Numerous changes in family rituals were identified. Christmas was found to be the most discussed ritual, but Christmas Eve rituals were more often discussed than Christmas Day rituals. The importance …

Relating Children's Social Competence To Maternal Beliefs And Management Strategies Of Peer Relationships, Eryn D. Hamel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explored the links between maternal beliefs about the importance of children's social skills, modes of obtaining social skills, management strategies, and children's social competence. Subjects were 67 mothers whose 3- and 4-year-old children attended one of five preschools in Cache Valley, Utah. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing their beliefs about the importance of social skills, their beliefs about how children acquire social skills, and the ways they are involved in their children 's peer relationships. Demographic measures were also completed by the mothers. Classroom teachers completed the Child Behavior Scale on every child in their class, regardless of maternal …

Temperament, Attachment, And Parenting Stress In Infancy: Relations To Social Competence Of Second Graders, Gina A. Cook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The importance of social competence in children's development has been recognized, and evidence has been found that children who are socially incompetent are at risk for academic problems. Yet the influences that may be involved from infancy, such as temperament and attachment, have not been explored longitudinally. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of infant temperament characteristics on later social development and to explore the idea that this influence may be affected by the infant's attachment security mediated by parenting stress.

Eighteen-month-old infants, from a previous study, were studied as second graders to examine whether their …

The Influence Of Video And Peer Tutoring On Attitudes Of High School Students Towards Peers With Disabilities, Marilyn Hammond

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study measured the effectiveness of watching a motivational videotape and completing one semester of peer tutoring on changing high school students' attitudes towards their peers with disabilities. Attitudes were measured with the Scale of Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons (SADP), administered to classrooms in two randomly selected high schools before and after viewing the video. The SADP was administered to a different sample of students before and after completing one semester of tutoring peers with disabilities. Peer tutors also completed one-page weekly journals. Responses from all participating students were compared between the pre- and postassessments using paired t tests.

Seven …

The Relationship Between Mandatory Divorce Education In Utah And The Level Of Postdivorce Parental Conflict, Monte N. Criddle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was an association between current level of conflict between divorced parents and their attendance or nonattendance at the divorce education pilot program. A telephone interview was used to examine current level of postdivorce conflict. The first portion of the telephone interview used questions that were taken from the Family of Origin Scale (FOS). Questions were selected as they related to various stages of divorce. The second portion of the questionnaire obtained sociodemographic data. as well as information regarding relitigation. The telephone interview was administered to 160 individuals who participated in …

Forced Sexual Intercourse In Relation To Female Adolescents' Risky Sexual Behavior, Psychopathology, And Behavior Problems, Mathew Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During 1995, over 20,000 adolescents completed the in-home interview for The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). One question asked females if they had ever been forced to have sexual intercourse (FSI). In addition, they were asked about other sexual behavior, their psychological well-being, and behavior problems. The present study examines the associations between FSI and 26 outcome variables, comparing adolescent females who reported FSI with females who reported voluntary intercourse, and with females who reported no intercourse. In addition, the large Add Health sample allowed comparisons between five race/ethnicity groups and four adolescent groups broken down by …

Financial Management And Financial Problems As They Relate To Marital Satisfaction In Early Marriage, Barbara C. Kerkmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The financial management habits and perceptions of young married couples were examined, as well as their financial problems and perceptions of their problems' magnitude in an attempt to assess the relationship of these financial factors to marital satisfaction. A survey was delivered to 604 residents of family student housing at Utah State University. The spouse who predominantly handled family finances was asked to complete the survey. By using an incentive for completing the survey, a response of 51.32% was obtained. It was hypothesized that both financial management practices and problems would be related to a couple's reported satisfaction with their …

Predicting Family Strength In Families Caring For Children With Disabilities, Katrina J. F. Ericson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research sought to identify factors that might be useful in helping to predict family strengths in families caring for a child with a disability. Based on the ABCX model designed for families in crisis, this research examined severity of child's disability (A); the family's existing resources of household income, education of the mother, and mother's marital status (B); the family's perception of family resources, family support, and parenting stress (C); and how these influence family strength (X) over time. In relation to the ABCX model, it was hypothesized that the aforementioned constructs would be associated with each other, and …

Parental And Teacher Priorities For Children's Requisite Kindergarten Entry Skills, Kelly J. O'Claire-Esparza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined mothers', fathers ', preschool teachers', and kindergarten teachers' opinions regarding children's requisite kindergarten entry skills. Participants were 101 preschool teachers from eight counties in northern Utah, as well as 113 kindergarten teachers and 286 parents of kindergartners from five school districts in northern Utah. Questionnaires were administered to assess opinions regarding (a) the preschool teachers' role in preparing children for kindergarten, (b) the parental role in preparing children for kindergarten, (c) priorities for requisite kindergarten entry skills, (d) the importance of specific skills emphasized in preschool, and (e) the importance of specific skills emphasized in kindergarten.

Findings …

Familial And Extrafamilial Correlates Of Children's Child-Care Perceptions, Michael K. Godfrey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to identify the individual, familial, and child-care characteristics related to children's perceptions of their nonparental child-care environments. One-hundred seventy-five children, their families, and child-care providers participated in this study. Children attended one of three forms of child care: large center-based child-care settings, home-based child-care settings, and a preschool. Correlates of children's perceptions of their child-care experiences came from variables classified into six categories: individual child characteristics, family structure, family processes, previous child-care experiences, child-care structure, and child-care processes.

Children's perceptions were elicited through the Child Care Game Assessment (CCGA), a role-playing game-like experience for …

An Exploratory Study Of The Termination Process In Marriage And Family Therapy, Jennifer H. Childers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore and better understand termination in the field of marriage and family therapy, as well as to generate a working model of termination. Data were obtained from a total of 40 marriage and family therapists (MFTs) licensed in the state of Utah. Two research questions were posed about termination and how client type and treatment progress may influence the termination process: (1) Given that MFTs see individuals, couples, and families, are there differences and similarities across client types in regard to how therapy is terminated?; and (2) Does termination differ in regard to …

Risk Factors In Adolescent Problem Behaviors Among Native And Nonnative Americans, Roger B. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The high incidence of adolescent problem behaviors in the United States raises major concerns. These problem behaviors include: sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies, suicide, depression, substance abuse, crime against persons and property, and delinquency. Consequently, there continues to be a high level of concern and interest in different ethnic populations of adolescents and their level of risk.

This study evaluated the following problem behaviors: substance abuse, suicide, delinquency, and sexual intercourse; and the risk factors that increase the probability of these problem behaviors occurring. Specifically, the study identified the profiles of the population in relationship to the problem behaviors comparing …

Solution-Focused Couples' Group Therapy, Lafray Kelley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Solution-focused therapy is one of the models of brief family therapy that has come into prominence during the 1980s and 90s. Whereas earlier forms of family therapy concentrated on problems and the behaviors that maintained them, solution-focused therapy places its emphasis on "exceptions" to the problem--times when it is not happening--and seeks to elaborate on and amplify these exceptions.

A solution-focused therapy model has been used with individuals, couples, and groups of individuals, but a search of the relevant literature revealed no information on its use with couples' groups. The purpose of this study was to develop a solution-focused treatment …

Recidivism Rates Of Level Six Residential Programs For Youthful Male Sexual Offenders: 1995-1996, Kevin N. Barlow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The phenomenon of youthful sexual offending has received increased attention in recent years in the state of Utah. As a result. programs have been developed to treat the sexual offender within residential treatment centers. However. the efficacy of these programs had not been examined prior to the initiation of this project. The success of the programs has been assessed by examining recidivistic activity as measured by post-treatment criminal histories. The results of this study indicate that the sample of clients departing from treatment in Utah in the year 1995 has a recidivism rate of93.2% for sexual criminal behavior, as of …

Parenting Styles And Family Communication As Correlates Of Juvenile Delinquency, Montone White

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The goal of this study was to examine parenting styles and family communication as correlates of juvenile delinquency. A review of the literature was completed in the areas of parenting styles, family communication, and juvenile delinquency. The literature that was reviewed for this study was examined mainly from juvenile perceptions. This study was approached from a general systems theory perspective.

A sample of juveniles (N = 78) from Weber County, Utah, involved in the juvenile justice system completed a survey assessing their perception of parenting styles and family communication. The survey was a 25-item questionnaire measuring kindness, unkindness, communication, …

Adolescents' Recollection Of Early Physical Contact: Implications For Attachment And Intimacy, Mark D. Oleson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three hundred seventy-six college students responded to a measure designed to examine retrospective accounts of the physical affection received during early childhood. The study looked exclusively from the perspective of the adolescent. Assessing the importance of touch in human development, and the role it plays in adult attachment and the ability to form and maintain close and intimate relations with others was the purpose of the study.

Six separate measures were used to assess the role of touch in adolescent development: three items from Gupta and Schork to assess physical affection (touch); Simpson's attachment style measure; Gerlsma, Arrindell, Van der …

Maternal Responsivity To A Child With A Disability: A Comparison In Single- And Two-Parent Families, Kristin Bollwinkel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to examine the differences between mothers in single- and two-parent families as they interact with their child with a disability. The sample consisted of 240 children with developmental disabilities and their mothers. Maternal interaction behaviors were measured using the Maternal Behavior Rating Scale. Demographic information, child characteristic measures, and family functioning variables were also considered. Analyses of covariance indicated that there were no differences between interaction behaviors of mothers in single- and two-parent families. However, relationships between income, education, and family cohesion, and the types of interactions displayed between mother and child were found. …

Clinical Typologies Of Youthful Male Sex Offenders Derived From The Sex-Offender Characteristic Inventory-Male Version (Soci-M), Susan L. Ericksen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Sex-Offender Characteristic Inventory-Male Version (SOCI-M) was filled out by a national sample of 78 clinicians experienced in the treatment of youthful sex offenders. Using factor analysis, clinician perceptions of the biopsychosocial characteristics related to normal, conduct-disordered, and sex-offending youth were determined.

All of the variables in the categories considered in this study factored into at least three distinct normal, conduct-disordered, and sex-offender youthful factors, with sex-offender variables loading onto more than one sex-offender factor in some categories. The normal youth factors accounted for the greatest variability in the Learning Disabled, Tourette's Syndrome, Borderline Traits, Histrionic Traits, DSM III-R Diagnosis, …

Child Abuse In The Wake Of Natural Disasters, Thom Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Natural and technological disasters impact thousands of families in the United States each year. Catastrophic events leave homelessness, unemployment, injury, and death in their wake. The cost to society is usually measured in homes destroyed, jobs lost, casualties, and expected dollar expense of recovery. There are the social, psychological, and family consequences of catastrophic stressors. Anecdotal reports suggest that among these consequences is an increase in family violence, including child abuse. This dissertation tests the hypotheses that reported and confirmed child abuse increases in the wake of natural disasters.

Child Protective Services (CPS) records of several jurisdictions that have experienced …

The Influence Of Workplace Stressors, Resources And Perceptions On Work-To-Family Spillover: An Application Of The Double Abcx Model, Steven A. Dennis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes in the American workforce have raised concern over the interface between family and work. The responsibilities and frustrations of the work domain frequently spill over to the family domain and vice versa. The purpose of this research has been to investigate the influence of workplace stressors, resources, and perceptions on subsequent negative work-to-family spillover. The theoretical direction for the study stems from a modified application of McCubbin and Patterson's double ABCX model, which fits well into the larger spillover perspective.

The data for the study came from 1992 National Study of the Changing Workforce [NSCW). A subsample of respondents …

The Effects Of A Cd-Rom Computer Storybook Program On Head Start Children's Emergent Literacy, Susan Talley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the effects of a computer CD-ROM storybook program on 73 Head Start children in Logan, Utah. A variation on the two-group pretest/posttest design was used to determine if there was any increase in emergent literacy skills after spending an average of 15 minutes per day for an average of 12 days on the computer.

Previous research suggests that a child's home environment is integral to the preschool child's emergent literacy development. A parent questionnaire designed for assessing information regarding the child 's Iiterate environment at home was administered. Mean scores indicated that those children scoring highest on …