Counseling Commons^™

Perceptions Of Racial Climate In Residence Halls Between African-American And Euroamerican College Students, Vanessa D. Johnson-Durgans

Dissertations

This study was undertaken to determine if African-American residents perceive the racial climate of residence halls differently than do Euroamerican residents at a predominantly Euroamerican university in southwest Michigan. The questions explored in this study were:

1. Do African-American residents perceive the hall environment differently than Euroamerican residents?

2. Do African-American residents perceive the residence hall government differently than Euroamerican residents?

3. Do African-American residents perceive the halls' student staff differently than Euroamerican residents?

4. Do African-American residents perceive their relation to other residents differently than Euroamerican residents?

This study consisted of analyzing the results of this writer's questionnaire e …

Sense Of Humor As A Mediator Of The Effects Of Stress On Physical Health And Psychological Well-Being, Timothy Eugene Spruill

Dissertations

This paper explores the role of sense of humor as a mediator of the effects of stress on physical health and psychological well-being. One hundred subjects, selected from a population of hospital employees, were administered two measures of sense of humor. In addition, they completed a personal data form, and instruments assessing stressors, perceived stress, physical health and psychological well-being.

Results were evaluated using simple correlations and multiple regression analysis in order to determine whether or not knowledge of a subject's sense of humor enables prediction of their levels of physical health, psychological well-being and perceived stress. Analysis of the …

How Gender And Psychological Separation From Parents Interact With Depression In The Young Adult Experience Of Parental Separation And Divorce, Mary Oppenhuizen

Dissertations

The impact of parental divorce on children under the age of 18 has been studied extensively (Hetherington, 1979, 1981; Kurdek & Siesky, 1980; Wallerstein & Blakeslee, 1989; Wallerstein & Kelly , 1974, 1976, 1980). There has been far less research addressing effects of parental divorce on young adults (Bianchi, Rosen, & Reilly , 1987; Cain, 1989; Cooney, Smyer, Hagestad, & Klock, 1986; Farber, Primavera, & Felner, 1983; Kaufmann, 1987/1988). This may be due to the "common" assumption that young adults are psychologically separated from their parents in such a way that they suffer minimally when encountering parental divorce.

In this …

The Effects Of Training And Experience On The Ability To Detect Relapse Precipitants In A Substance Abuse Client, Michael F. Sunich

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of training and experience on counselors' ability to detect relapse precipitants in substance abuse clients. Eighty counselor trainees from Western Michigan University and the University of Northern Colorado participated. They were classified as to their previous level of experience and then exposed to either the treatment condition or the control condition. Pretest-posttest data were gathered using a modified version of the Alcohol Confidence Questionnaire (Annis & Graham, 1988) (ACQ-M).

The findings from this study suggest that counselors with previous substance abuse experience tend to show less confidence in a client's ability to remain abstinent than …

A Measure Of State-Trait Anger With Adolescent Sex Offenders, Adolescent Delinquents, And A Normal Adolescent Population, Brett D. Lincoln

Dissertations

Research indicates that sexual offending juveniles are angry. Furthermore, sexual offending is seen as a primary means to reduce anger by these youth. However there is little empirical support of these positions. Few comparative studies of sexual offenders with other experimental or control groups exist.

The purpose of this study was to assess differences of anger among three adolescent groups: juvenile delinquent, sexual offender and a control. Assessment of anger was across six subscales of Spielberger's (1988) State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). The subscales of interest were: State, Trait, Trait Anger Temperament, Trait Anger Repressed, Anger Expression/In and Anger …

Foster Parents’ Experience Of Loss And Their Coping Response Style, Kathleen M. Kirby

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the subjective experience of emotional and physical stress reported by foster parents that may be caused by serial placements of foster children. It also addressed the coping response mechanisms and style of foster parents that may promote successful endurance of serial losses. In addition, the relationship between specific coping responses of foster parents was investigated to determine if the circumstances of placement or characteristics of foster parents interact to exacerbate or remediate emotional/physical stress.

Demographics were tabulated for Michigan foster parents including age, family income, religious affiliation, racial/cultural identification, marital status, educational …

Perceived Parental Care And Protection As Correlates Of Chronic Pain In Adults, Daniel L. Walberer

Dissertations

This research was undertaken to explore the significance of care and protection as correlates related to the experience of chronic pain in adults. Chronic pain may affect as many as ten percent of the American population and cost up to a billion dollars a year in treatment costs. It was hypothesized that certain parenting styles are related to the experience of chronic pain in adults.

Thirty male and female patients referred to The Center for Health Psychology and Medicine in Kalamazoo, Michigan who were diagnosed as experiencing chronic pain by a referring physician participated in this study. Each participant underwent …

The Effectiveness Of A Job Search Skills Training Program On The Job Readiness Of Undergraduate Malaysian Students Enrolled At Western Michigan University, Ibrahim Bin Hashim

Dissertations

The relevant body of research and literature applicable to this area emphasized the importance of job readiness among college students. Job seeking skills program can be rendered more effective and efficient by using a combination of several behavioral procedures.

The primary purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a job search skills training program on the job readiness of the undergraduate sponsored Malaysian students enrolled at Western Michigan University. Specifically the problem centered on the ability of the treatment program to help Malaysian students to become clearer and to increase their understanding about the importance of self-awareness, …

Career Dynamics Of Counselor Trainee Stereotyping: Bias Toward Physical Ability, Social Class, Gender, And Race Of Clients, J. Stephen Neynaber

Dissertations

Three different attitude surveys, developed by the researcher, were administered to counselor trainees (N =200) at Western Michigan University: The Attitudes of Counselor Trainees (A.C.T.) Survey, Multicultural Beliefs Inhibiting Appropriate Support (M-B.I.A.S.) Survey, and Career Beliefs Inhibiting Appropriate Support (CB. LA.S.) Survey. A 24-item demographics questionnaire was administered to trainees (n =124) who completed the A.C.T. Survey. A six-items Likert scale produced significant effect (p < .05) on counselor trainees' ratings of clients' potential for career success: (1) Awareness of Personal Strengths and Weaknesses, (2) Goal Orientation, (3) Self-esteem, (4) Energy Level, (5) Participation in Extracurricular Activities, and (6) Level of Honesty.

Five client demographic oppression variables, which the review of literature documented to evince negative bias from counselors, were included in 16 hypothetical client scenarios: physical handicaps (viz., hearing impairment and paraplegia), female sex, African-Americans, low …

Exploring The Self-In-Relation Theory: Women's Idealized Relationships-Of-Choice And Psychological Health, K. Heidi Fishman

Dissertations

The self-in-relation theory (e.g., Kaplan, 1984; Kaplan 6 Klein, 1985; Miller, 1984, 1986, 1988; Surrey, 1985, 198?) asserts that women's development is based on relationships. According to the Stone Center theorists (Kaplan, 1984; Miller, 1988; Stiver, 1986-1989, 1986- 1990; Surrey, 1984), psychopathology in women can stem out of non-growth-fostering relationships which leave women feeling a profound sense of disconnection and loss. Similarly, psychological health develops out of growth fostering relationships. This study investigates the connections between women's relational experiences, their idealized relationships-of-choice, the health of their families-of-origin, and current psychological health.

Thirty-eight women were interviewed and given psychological measurements in …

Interpersonal Issues Of Dependency In Adult Children From Dysfunctional Relationships, Dennis Michael Beaufait

Dissertations

This study was designed to examine issues of interpersonal behavior among adult children of alcoholics when compared to adult children of non-alcoholics by assessing the functioning level of family of origin relationships. Undergraduate students from a midwestern university were divided into four groups based on their scores on the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST) by Jones (1981) and the Index of Family Relations (IFR) by Hudson (1982). The sample consisted of 302 subjects between the ages of 18 and 50 who volunteered to participate in a study which examined interpersonal behavior as measured by the Interpersonal Dependency Inventory (IDI). …

Monitoring And Management Of Psychiatric Symptomatology In Conditionally Released Insanity Acquittees, Jo Mariah Mahler

Dissertations and Theses

Community treatment of insanity acquittees is a highly controversial matter among legislators, mental health professionals and the public. At issue is the balancing of public safety concerns with least restrictive, non-punitive rehabilitation alternatives for insanity acquittees. Attempts to determine predictors of dangerousness in mentally ill offenders have produced mixed results with questionable practical value. In view of this, many mental health professionals are instead recommending that research on insanity acquittees be focused on evaluating the effectiveness of mandated community treatment programs for insanity acquittees. One area being designated for such research is the monitoring and management of psychopathology in conditionally …

Patterns Of Courtship For Remarriage: Implications For Child Adjustment And Parent-Child Relationships, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Edward R. Anderson, Mavis E. Hetherington, Glenn W. Clingempeel

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Most children who experience their parents' divorce also experience their custodial parent's remarriage. However, research has not addressed how patterns of courtship for remarriage influence the developing child and his or her relationships in the new family. This longitudinal study focuses on 57 remarried, stepfather families with a target child aged 9 to 13, using multimethod, multi-informant measures of child adjustment and parent-child relationships. Comparisons were made to determine whether the custodial mother's number of dating partners, remarriage courtship length, or the timing and sequence of typical courtship stages affected the child's adjustment and his or her relationships with the …

Perception Of Stressors By 9th And 12th Grade Students Utilizing The Youth Adaptation Rating Scale, Michael James Krummel

Dissertations and Theses

Stress is a fact of life. There has been much research done since the early 1970's dealing with the various aspects and relationships of stress and life events for all stages of human development. The purpose of this study was to investigate perceived life-event stressors of 9th grade and 12th grade students in three Pacific Northwest rural schools. The study also sought to a) ascertain whether male students in the 9th grade and 12th grade perceive stressful life events differently than female students in the same grade, and b) explore if there was a difference in perceptions of students of …

Ministering To Those Who Lose Their Jobs, Kevin Twain Lowery

Faculty Scholarship – Christian Ministry

Work is much more vital to a person's well-being than merely providing a means of financial support. Work is often a means of self-expression and socialization, and it thus is central to one's self-identity and self-esteem. Understanding these dynamics is crucial to ministering to those who lose their jobs or go through a major career change. The Christian concept of vocation is also very helpful in this regard.