Healing A Broken Spirit: A Look Into Institutional Trauma And Spiritual Resilience, Christian Cederstrom

Master of Arts in Human Services

This paper focused on the relationship between spirituality, therapy, and those who are affected and traumatized by religious institutions. It sought to cover the hypothesis that exposure to positive spirituality can help those who have been affected by religious institutional trauma to recover. Studies have shown a positive correlation between religiosity and recovery from traumatic experiences and that therapy can also increase one spirituality and relationship with God or other higher powers. This article sought to highlight that this strength of a spiritual coping mechanism may be increased by a person’s education in the field of theology and spirituality meaning …

Overcoming The War Within: Exploring The Relationship Between Exposure To Complex Trauma And Post Traumatic Growth, Diego T. Thompson

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to complex trauma can be understood as exposure to multiple and varied types of traumatic events, often chronic in nature. Exposure to complex trauma is prevalent among youth in the United States, especially youth living in urban environments and marginalized populations. Black youth who live in urban environments are of particular concern due to their increases susceptibility of exposure to community violence, entrenched poverty, and other sources of trauma at multiple levels, making them an appropriate population in which to examine PTG. the effect that these exposures have on these youth should be acknowledged, it is necessary to also …

The Role Of Team Sports, Coping, And Friendship In Reducing Depressive Symptoms In Youth, Abigail K. Bushnell

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The prevalence of depression in adolescents has increased in the last decade. Minority and low-income youth face additional barriers to accessing mental health services leading to a significant proportion of adolescents going undiagnosed and untreated. Participation in multiple team sports may offer an additive protective effect for youth mental health, yet how and for whom this relation occurs is unclear. The current study aimed to examine how coping strategies and friendships interact with team sports participation to reduce depressive symptoms in youth. Self-report data was collected from 196 urban youth across two time points. Moderated moderation analyses were conducted …

Perceived Parental Pressure And Coping Mechanisms In Undergraduate Students, Ariel Tran

Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses

With the rising pressure and competition to succeed academically, it is common for students to feel pressured to perform at a certain level. When this pressure to perform primarily stems from parental figures, there are inconsistent studies determining the effect of parental pressure, the student’s ability to cope with those stressors, and the internalization of those pressure to succeed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to uncover the relationship between perceived parental pressure, self-oriented perfectionism and coping self-efficacy amongst first year university students. A sample of 70 female students completed a series of self-reported questionnaires that included an abbreviated …

Music As A Coping Mechanism: Clinical Implications Of How College Students Utilize Music To Cope With Anxiety, Depression, And Daily Stressors, Karly Pikel

Senior Theses

Many college students face stress, anxiety, and/or depression in their daily lives which they cope with in their own ways. Listening to music or playing an instrument are particularly powerful forms of coping that can have a plethora of positive effects on an individual. The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey amongst the University of South Carolina student body to determine how they utilize music to cope in their daily lives. Of 847 respondents, almost all of them reported experiencing some extent of anxiety and/or stress and listening to music to help them cope. Respondents agreed that …

The Lived Experiences Of Counselors-In-Training Completing Practicum And Internship During Covid-19, Shelby Lauren Dillingham

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

COVID-19’s classification as a pandemic in March 2020 changed numerous professions as they adjusted to social distancing expectations. Mental health providers particularly encountered transitions that included higher acuity caseloads, working different hours, and increased exposure to COVID-19. Counselors-in-training (CIT) faced the dilemma of earning their clinical hours in a safe manner, especially CITs working within integrated healthcare settings, such as hospitals or clinics. Despite some research with licensed professional counselors, limited research exists examining CITs' experiences working during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study sought to understand the lived experiences of CITs who completed their clinical hours in an integrated behavioral …

From Distress To De-Stress: The Impact Of Humor On Stress Appraisal, Emotion Regulation, And Resilience, Emily Faye Kaplan

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

No abstract provided.

Latent Profiles Of Child Coping And Perception Of Experience Processes To Predict Long-Term Symptoms Of Depression, Intrusive Grief, And Suicidality Outcomes In Parentally Bereaved Children, Rebecca Hoppe

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood bereavement is a significant public health issue and the most distressing form of childhood trauma. The death of a parent can disrupt the course of a children's development and potentially predispose them to enduring adverse mental health outcomes, such as depression, intrusive grief, and suicidality. Recognizing grief as a dynamic process, theories have suggested that children’s unique coping and perceptions of experience can contribute to variations in individual adaptations to the death and the onset of mental health problems. The goals of this study were to (a) use latent profile analysis to empirically group recently bereaved children into distinct …

God Attachment, Health Locus Of Control, Anxiety, And Health Behaviors During Covid-19 Among College Undergraduates At A Religious University, Jessica K. Wilbur

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study investigated the relationship between attachment to God, health locus of control (HLOC), perceived stress, and COVID-19-related attitudes and health behaviors among undergraduate students. Undergraduates from George Fox University were sampled, and data were collected from December 2021 to May 2022. Participants ranged from ages 18 to 36 years old (M = 19.1, SD = 2.1). The majority identified as female (68.3%) and European-American (70.2%). A K-cluster analysis revealed two groups utilizing attachment to God and HLOC scores: 81 healthy (43%) and 109 distressed (57%) individuals. The healthy group reported lower scores on anxious and avoidant attachment to God …

On The Rocks: The Association Between Dating And Alcohol Consumption Among Young Adults, Hannah Ettele

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Alcohol consumption is becoming an increasing concern among young adults. In 2018, approximately one-third of young adults in the United States reported binge drinking within the past month (Patrick et al., 2020). This peak in binge drinking during young adulthood raises concerns about physical and mental health. There are also societal implications of alcohol consumption, such as drunk driving, that are particularly evident among this age group (Stewart, 2023). As proposed by the Social Learning Theory (SLT) of alcohol use, there are many factors that motivate young adults to drink (Britton, 2004). Some engage in alcohol consumption to cope with …

A Micro-Longitudinal Study Of Coping, Stress, And Meaning In Life, Zachary Z. Willett

WWU Graduate School Collection

This thesis investigates the potential for studying meaning-centered constructs on a daily basis and considers how meaning-centered measures may complement existing models for understanding the dynamics of daily stress, affect, and coping.

As part of a week-long protocol, participants (N = 138) provided daily reports (N = 917) of their coping behaviors, perceived meaning in life, affect, stress, and perceived coping competence. These data were collected via a combination of widely adopted (e.g., the MIL-Q, Brief COPE, and PANAS-SF) and ad hoc measures (including an original 6-item assessment of daily stress and 4-item measure of perceived coping competence).

Results of …

Transition Readiness, Coping, And Psychological Risk And Protective Factors In Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Jennifer Kelleher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Background: Many adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) find the transition from pediatric to adult healthcare stressful, reporting high levels of diabetes distress and burnout. Although promoting positive coping strategies (primary control, secondary control), and inhibiting negative coping (disengagement) improves health outcomes in youth of transition age, little research has examined how different types of coping relate to transition readiness in T1D. Additionally, it remains unknown what psychological factors predict disengagement coping in adolescents with T1D. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) examine which coping styles predict transition readiness in adolescents with T1D, (2) determine whether diabetes distress mediates …

An Existential Punchline: How Humor Functions In A Young Adult Friendship Facing Advanced Cancer, Megan E. Solberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Young adults (i.e., age 18-39) only comprise 4% of the total cancer population, yet cancers in this group are commonly found at more advanced stages due to situational factors influencing delayed diagnosis including access to healthcare, quality health insurance and competing life demands that may hinder prioritization of healthcare. Young adults with cancer also face unique challenges including higher rates of psychological distress, which may contribute to increased risk of social disconnection in response to cancer. Research suggests that humor may be a helpful coping approach and communication mechanism for mitigating distress and discussing difficult topics. Grounded within the frameworks …

The Influence Of Minority Stress, Coping, And A Pandemic On The Relationship Between Sexual Orientation And Mental Health: A Mixed Methods Study, James Michael Macchia

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

For decades, scientific literature has shown that sexual minority individuals across populations are disproportionately affected by negative mental health outcomes when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. These disparities are largely attributable to minority stress. Coping is a significant factor that can impact the content and severity of mental health outcomes and coping behaviors have been shown to vary based on sexual orientation. Mental health outcomes may also differ between sexual minority subgroups due to additional factors such as double discrimination and bisexual invisibility/erasure. Moreover, factors such as internalized homophobia and community connectedness have demonstrated strong associations with sexual minority mental …

Feasibility Of A Parent-Focused, Stress Management Intervention To Decrease Adolescent Bmi, Reduce Stress, And Increase Well-Being Among African American Families, Colby J. Kipp

Theses and Dissertations

African American adolescents in the United States experience a higher prevalence of obesity as compared to their White counterparts. This health inequity presents a public health concern as consequences of weight-related chronic diseases often persist into adulthood and are increasingly problematic. As chronic stress has been found to be higher among African American youth compared to White adolescents, it presents as a potential barrier to participation for African American families in health promotion interventions. Additionally, it may be beneficial to target stress in health promotion programs as a modifiable factor in conjunction with health behaviors that may improve outcomes related …

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Adult Coping Inventory, Kristen Ashley Hollas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

There are few psychometrically sound measures that assess coping in adults. For example, a widely used measure of coping, the COPE, has highly unstable sub-scales and was developed using a homogenous sample (Lyne & Roger, 2000). Because of these limitations, the Adult Coping Inventory (ACI) was developed. The ACI is a 57-item measure that contains five factors including Problem Solving, Mindfulness, Maladaptive Coping, Social Support and Avoidance. Initial reliability and validity analyses demonstrate good construct, concurrent and incremental validity. The current study involved conducting a confirmatory factor analysis to confirm the factor structure of the ACI. The participant sample consisted …

The Psychological Impact Of Adolescent Violence Exposure: The Roles Of Coping And Social Support, Kelsey Gnade Coulthard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research demonstrates that children and adolescents experience a wide range of exposure to violence with rates ranging from 20% and 50% (Finkelhor & Dziuba-Leatherman, 1994; Finkelhor et al., 2005; Zimmerman & Posick, 2016). Violence exposure has been associated with several negative outcomes including biological, psychological, family-based, and academic problems. Further, studies have examined potential protective factors that may buffer against these consequences, with inconsistent results surrounding the roles of coping and social support. However, many of these studies use either an overly generalized definition of both violence exposure and/or social support or use very specific type of violence within a …

The Relationship Between Coping Behaviors And Misophonia Symptom Severity And Impairment, Ruth Emmon Tyson

Honors Theses

Misophonia is a complex disorder that is characterized by an extreme disliking of sounds. Individuals with misophonia may engage in anxiety-driven coping behaviors that constitute avoidance and safety behaviors. Current literature shows that while coping behavior may offer temporary relief of anxiety and distress, they can lead to persisting anxiety and avoidance of experiences. Given preliminary evidence demonstrating a link between coping behaviors and maintained or worsening symptoms, additional research is warranted to further understand the role of coping behaviors in misophonia. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between coping behaviors and maintenance or worsening of misophonia symptom severity …

The Role Of Developmental Stage, Compensatory Support, And Coping In The Relationship Among Adverse Childhood Experiences, Mental Health, And Resilience In Emerging Adults, Melanie Abbondola

Theses and Dissertations

Children and adolescents who experience adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) often must deal with mental and physical effects lasting well into adulthood. However, much research shows ACEs are related to poorer mental and physical health in adulthood. Much less work has focused on the psychological and social resources that can create resilience. This study examined how compensatory social support and coping strategies potentially moderate the relationship between ACEs and mental health outcomes, and if the age/developmental stage at which the ACEs occurred, and the frequency and intensity of the ACEs affected mental health. Self-report data were obtained from 241 emerging adults, …

Employee Perceptions Of Stressors At Work: An Attachment Perspective, Emma Josephine Naudet

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The current study applied an attachment perspective to elucidate how individuals appraise stressors at work. Attachment theory proposes that individuals’ interactions with a caregiver shape their expectations and beliefs about the world, themselves, and others and predict how individuals behave. Attachment at work is a budding research topic because it informs the social aspect of work relationships, such as the leader-subordinate dyad. However, few studies have explored the potential of attachment security as a job resource. Our findings demonstrated strong support for our predictions about the relationship between transformational leadership, employee perceptions of demands and resources, and the potential explanatory …

Division I Softball Athletes' Perceptions On Stress, Coping, Performance, And Mental Health, Rhianna Weall

LSU Master's Theses

Collegiate athletes face numerous stressors in both athletic and academic areas of performance. Their perceptions of situations dictate coping responses and their ability to enact behavior or implement strategies to manage stress levels. This study investigated perceived stress and coping strategies using semi-structured in-person interviews with five current NCAA Division I softball players. Three main themes emerged from the interviews: (a) Pressure is Privilege, (b) Team Dynamic and Identity Development, (c) Softball-Centrism. In the first theme, pressure is viewed as a positive aspect and as an opportunity to perform in areas of high and low levels of confidence. Within the …

Racial Identity, Appraisal, And Coping: A Moderated Mediation Of Racism-Related Trauma In Black Americans, Kemi Anuoluwapo Soyeju

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Research indicates that Black Americans are at higher risk for trauma symptoms due to exposure to racial discrimination. However, the degree to which Black Americans appraise discriminatory events as threatening and how their coping with discrimination affects traumatization, remains unclear. Additionally, the use of undergraduate student convenience samples limits the generalizability of prior research. In the current study, an online sample of Black American adults (N = 415, age 18 to 75, M = 36.10, SD = 11.18), threat appraisal was tested as a mechanism through which discrimination predicts trauma symptoms, and both coping strategies and racial identity were explored …

The Effects Of Screen Time On Children, Jacqueline Valdepenas

Nursing | Senior Theses

With the development of technology continuing to grow at a fast-paced pace in society, children are now becoming exposed to such technology at a younger age. The introduction of smartphones and tablets, which is defined as screen time in this paper, are being introduced to children as young as 6 months of age. Instead of children playing with toys recommended for their age, they use screen time for their play needs and entertainment. Some parents use screen time as a distraction and/or relief for their own needs when the child is upset or they’re unable to tend to the child. …

Adaptive And Maladaptive Coping As Mediators Of The Relationship Between Impostor Phenomenon And Help Seeking Intention, Victor Mosconi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The modern workplace and public media have reported on the influence of the impostor phenomenon (IP) on leadership mental health and workplace effectiveness. The choice of coping strategy may influence leaders’ intentions to seek psychological help. Guided by the impostor cycle model, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the extent to which adaptive and maladaptive coping mediates the relationship between IP and help-seeking intention in a convenience sample of 162 participants in leadership positions. The Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale assessed strength of IP, the Brief COPE measure assessed adaptive and maladaptive coping, and the Beliefs About Psychological …

"It's All Lateral Violence": How Sexual Minority Men Cope With Appearance Discrimination, Matthew T. Richardson

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

Sexual minority men experience higher rates of body dissatisfaction (BD) than heterosexual men (Frederick & Essayli, 2016). BD is associated with negative health outcomes in this population, including eating disorders (Yean et al., 2013), depression (Blashill et al., 2016), suicidality (Grunewald, Calzo, et al., 2021), and risky sexual behavior (Goedel et al., 2017). Sexual minority men who use dating apps may be at greater risk of experiencing BD via exposure to appearance-based discrimination (Tran et al., 2020), sexual objectification, and weight stigma (Filice et al., 2019). Little is known about sexual minority men’s experiences of appearance discrimination on dating apps …

The Indirect Association Of Personality With Perceived Stress As Mediated By Humor In University Students During Covid-19, Jacqueline Sterghos

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Humor is known to be an effective coping strategy due to its stress-reducing capabilities (Overholser, 1992; Peterson & Seligman, 2004). However, more recent research into humor has revealed it can also lead to increased levels of stress (Fritz et al., 2017; Martin et al., 2003). Extraverts tend to have positive emotions and are better able to cope with stressful emotions (Ford et al., 2016). However, individuals higher in neuroticism are more likely to engage in maladaptive types of coping strategies and humor (Greengross et al., 2011), putting them at a higher risk for increased stress levels. The current research utilized …

2 Years On: Loss And Grief Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Eman H. Nabulsi

Psychology and Counseling Theses

This study sought to examine the variability and impact of different kinds of losses experienced during COVID-19 and how people reacted to and coped with those losses. The most common loss reported by individuals was the loss of social connection, while death-related losses were identified as the most impactful loss experienced. Results suggest that people responded in a myriad of ways, including increased cautiousness for health safety, refocusing their attention on important life matters, and finding alternative ways to connect with others. Furthermore, this study found that individual factors such as intolerance of uncertainty and perceived social support may play …

Coping Strategies And Self-Compassion As Protective Factors In The Infant And Early Childhood Mental Health Workforce, Megan Wolff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mental health field experiences high levels of stress, resulting in a greater risk of poor professional quality of life, likely exacerbated by the additional stress associated with COVID-19. The present study examined the effect COVID-19 stress had on the professional quality of life of the infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) workforce and whether coping strategies and self-compassion acted as protective factors. Results indicated that higher COVID-19 stress was associated with higher burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS) and lower compassion satisfaction (CS). The results also showed that the pathway from COVID-19 stress to burnout was moderated by …

The Coping Strategies Of Older Adults With Age Related Vision Loss (Arvl) – A Narrative Account, Zakara J. Stampp

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The goal of this study was to share the stories of older adults with age-related vision loss (ARVL) and how they have coped to maintain meaningful occupational engagement. Grounded in a constructivist paradigm, data collection and analysis were guided by the narrative inquiry methodology. The participants consisted of six older adults aged 60 or older, diagnosed with one of the following ARVL conditions: macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and/or glaucoma. Participants were recruited from vision loss non-profit organizations such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and the Alliance for Equity of Blind Canadians (AEBC). One older adult was …

Ableist Microaggressions And Well-Being: Investigating The Moderating Effect Of Coping Strategies, Whitney Morean

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Purpose/Objective: In prior research, ableist microaggressions have previously correlated with higher depressive symptoms in samples of members of the disability community. Since well-being is more than merely the absence of distressing mental health symptoms; the present study examines the relationship between ableist microaggressions and well-being and whether different coping strategies moderate the relationship. Research Method/Design: Adults (N = 132) who self-identified as having a disability or chronic health condition that significantly impacts one or more major life activities, were recruited online to complete a survey. Measures of well-being, ableist microaggressions, coping, and depression symptoms were administered via an online …