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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Examining The Relationship Between Social Anxiety, Fear Of Negative Evaluation, Fear Of Positive Evaluation And Minority Stress In Lgb Versus Heterosexual Adults, Anvita Kamath Jan 2023

Examining The Relationship Between Social Anxiety, Fear Of Negative Evaluation, Fear Of Positive Evaluation And Minority Stress In Lgb Versus Heterosexual Adults, Anvita Kamath

Masters Theses

Psychological research within the LGBTQ+ community is a relatively recent phenomenon due to the stigma that has been historically placed on this population. Sexual minority populations experience a plethora of mental health problems ranging from mood disorders to personality disorders and have a greater risk of suicide as compared to their heterosexual counterparts (Gilman et al., 2001; Meyer, 2003; Steele et al., 2017). Specifically, significant differences in social anxiety levels have been found while comparing sexual minority individuals to heterosexual individuals, which may be associated with factors such as Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE), Fear of Positive Evaluation (FPE) and …


Predictors Of Attitudes About Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Claire Sullivan Jan 2023

Predictors Of Attitudes About Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Claire Sullivan

Masters Theses

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are far less likely to enroll in secondary education than neurotypical students and students with disabilities (White et al., 2016). There is little research on the factors contributing to the reluctance of young adults on the autism spectrum to seek higher education. This study aims to answer two research questions. The first research question aims to determine if there is a predominance of negative attitudes towards ASD amongst present undergraduate college students. The second research question explores whether this could be a determining factor in a college determination for students with ASD. This current …


Social Anxiety And Substance Use In College Students: Understanding The Potential Role Of Substance Use Expectancies And Fear Of Evaluation, Devangi Pant Jan 2023

Social Anxiety And Substance Use In College Students: Understanding The Potential Role Of Substance Use Expectancies And Fear Of Evaluation, Devangi Pant

Masters Theses

The relationship between social anxiety and substance use among college students has been researched extensively, but it is difficult to understand this relationship due to the uncertainty imposed by mixed findings. However, most studies have found a positive link between social anxiety and alcohol use, as mediated by positive alcohol use expectancies. This study reviewed the literature on social anxiety and alcohol use expectancies and proposed a model that evaluated the predictive ability of social anxiety and alcohol use expectancies on alcohol use. Results indicated that social anxiety does not predict alcohol use and only negative alcohol use expectancies were …


Does Need For Social Support Moderate The Relationship Between Perceived Availability Of Social Support And Depression, Anxiety, And Stress?, Katherine E. Whisenhunt Jan 2023

Does Need For Social Support Moderate The Relationship Between Perceived Availability Of Social Support And Depression, Anxiety, And Stress?, Katherine E. Whisenhunt

Masters Theses

This study was designed to determine whether the need for social support moderates the relationship between social support (both perceived and enacted) and depression, anxiety, and stress. The study tested the role of Need for Support in the context of both buffering and direct effect models of the effect of social support on mental health and well-being. If perceived availability of social support (i.e., PASS) had a direct effect on well-being, then a simple moderation was predicted. If a buffering effect was present, then a moderated moderation was predicted. This study also predicted a positive relationship between need for social …


Ethnic Differences In The Way College Students Cope With Stress, Temavulane N. Motsa Jan 2022

Ethnic Differences In The Way College Students Cope With Stress, Temavulane N. Motsa

Masters Theses

Stress is one of the key concerns for students and has also been labelled the highest factor impacting students’ academic performance in colleges. A student’s ability to adequately cope with their stressors could determine their academic success or failure. This study examined whether there are any ethnic differences in the way African American and Caucasian American Students cope with stress. Data were collected from Students at Eastern Illinois University which included 45 African American Students and 40 Caucasian American students. The results revealed no significant differences in the way Caucasian American and African American students cope with stress. This paper …


Role Of Feedback And Social Anxiety In Dating Situations, Kanika Singh Jan 2022

Role Of Feedback And Social Anxiety In Dating Situations, Kanika Singh

Masters Theses

Social anxiety has been linked to both the Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) and the Fear of Positive Evaluation, suggesting that receiving feedback (whether positive or negative) is difficult for persons with social anxiety. However, little research has examined whether receiving feedback in an evaluative setting (e.g., dating) can directly affect social anxiety levels. Thus, this study examined whether varying types of feedback (negative, positive, and neutral) can affect the levels of social anxiety for individuals in a dating scenario. Feedback was provided to participants and examined in relation to their levels of FNE and FPE. Participants consisted of undergraduate …


Problematic Social Media Use And Depression In College Students: A Mediation Study, Morgan Hummel Jan 2022

Problematic Social Media Use And Depression In College Students: A Mediation Study, Morgan Hummel

Masters Theses

Recent research has shown a relationship between problematic social media use and depression symptoms in adults in the United States. Social comparison has been identified as a mediator in this relationship in previous studies. Little research has explored the underlying mechanisms in social media use and the onset of depression symptoms in college aged students. The present study examines whether social comparison mediates the relationship between problematic social media use and depression symptoms in 102 college students in the US. The participants completed measures of problematic social media use, social comparison, and depression symptoms. The results indicated a positive relationship …


The Effect Of Mortality Salience On Compromising Mate Selection Standards In Homosexual And Heterosexual Individuals, Sydney Rohmann Jan 2021

The Effect Of Mortality Salience On Compromising Mate Selection Standards In Homosexual And Heterosexual Individuals, Sydney Rohmann

Masters Theses

Terror management theory (TMT), proposed by Greenberg, Pyszcynski, and Solomon (1986), suggests that humans cope with terror resulting from the knowledge of their own mortality. The need for coping mechanisms arises when individuals are reminded of their own inevitable death; that is, when they experience mortality salience (MS). Hirschberger, Florian, and Mikulincer (2002) found that when primed with death reminders, heterosexual individuals tend to compromise their ideal mate selection to form close relationships. There has also been extensive research on the differences between homosexual and heterosexual mating preferences. This study examined the effect mortality salience has on an individuals’ mate …


Mindfulness Increases Help-Seeking By Buffering Against Self-Stigma, Sami Boomgarden Jan 2021

Mindfulness Increases Help-Seeking By Buffering Against Self-Stigma, Sami Boomgarden

Masters Theses

Mindfulness has many psychological benefits, including less stress, improved sleep, increased resiliency, and reduced psychological distress, making it a focus of mental health research (Dvorakova et al., 2017; Mzarek, Franklin, Phillips, Baird, & Schooler, 2013; Vidico & Cherup, 2019). Mindfulness may also limit the formation of self-stigma, which comes from internalized stereotypes about oneself (Barr, Davis, Diguiseppi, Keeling, & Castro, 2019). When people experience self-stigma, they are less likely to seek help when they might need it, exacerbating current problems (Wilson, Bushnell, & Caputi, 2011). The present study explored the relationship between these three constructs of mindfulness, self-stigma, and help-seeking. …


Examining The Relationship Between Social Anxiety And Social Media Engagement, Emilee A. Kruchten Jan 2021

Examining The Relationship Between Social Anxiety And Social Media Engagement, Emilee A. Kruchten

Masters Theses

The relationship between social anxiety and social media has been studied looking at social networking sites as a whole, or looking at problematic use of social networking sites. However, to the authors knowledge, no research study has been conducted comparing different social media sites. This study intended to look specifically at the relationship between social anxiety and Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat in college students. Furthermore, this study assessed fear of negative evaluation, fear of positive evaluation, fear of missing out, and social comparison as potential meditators of this relationship. It was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between social …


The Impact Of The Therapeutic Relationship On Transgender Clients’ Perceptions Of Their Therapist, Aaron Brockie Jan 2021

The Impact Of The Therapeutic Relationship On Transgender Clients’ Perceptions Of Their Therapist, Aaron Brockie

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between therapist practices, the therapeutic relationship and their impact on how transgender clients feel about their therapist. Previous research on therapist practices and the therapeutic relationship has looked into how these variables influence lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients’ feelings about their therapist, but as of yet, the dynamic has not been analyzed for transgender clients. Given the disproportionate prevalence for severe mental health issues in the transgender community, it is urgent that barriers to adequate and meaningful therapy outcomes be identified and addressed. Seventy eight participants were recruited from social …


Self-Construal As A Moderator In The Relationship Between Self-Enhancement/Protection And Psychological Well-Being, Asmita Saha Jan 2020

Self-Construal As A Moderator In The Relationship Between Self-Enhancement/Protection And Psychological Well-Being, Asmita Saha

Masters Theses

The purpose of the proposed study was to investigate the relationship between self-enhancement/protection and psychological well-being and to test if these relationships differ depending on whether one has a more independent or more interdependent self-construal. Two hundred and fifty-two participants who were residents of the United States were recruited from Amazon Turk. They responded to scales that measured their self-enhancement/self-protection strategies, independent/interdependent self-construals, positive-negative affect, level of life satisfaction, and psychological distress. The study sample was predominantly White, and participants were significantly more independent than interdependent in their self-construal. Results indicate that self-enhancement was positively associated while self-protection was negatively …


Relationship Between One’S Motive For Curiosity And Meaning In Life, Charles Reither Jan 2020

Relationship Between One’S Motive For Curiosity And Meaning In Life, Charles Reither

Masters Theses

Meaning in life as a psychological construct has many demonstrated benefits for psychological well-being and optimal functioning (Steger, 2013), and the treatment of clinical populations (Thir & Batthyány, 2016). This study investigated in greater detail than is currently available in the psychological literature how meaning in life is related to curiosity. Meaning in life was explored using top-down (the presence of and the search for meaning) and bottom-up (the specific sources of meaning) approaches. Curiosity was examined in its two motivation-based forms: curiosity motivated by the anticipation and enjoyment of discovery (an appetitive interest-type of curiosity) and curiosity motivated by …


Effect Of Religious Support And Perception Of Available Social Support On Seeking Formal Psychotherapy, Adaeze W. Akubueze Jan 2020

Effect Of Religious Support And Perception Of Available Social Support On Seeking Formal Psychotherapy, Adaeze W. Akubueze

Masters Theses

This study sought to investigate the relationship between perceived availability of social support and religious support on willingness to seek professional mental health counseling. Sixty-five (41 females and 18 males, 6 gender unspecified) students at Eastern Illinois University completed measures of religiosity (the Duke University Religion Index; DUREL), perceived availability of social support (the Late Adolescent Social Support Inventory; LASSI), religious support (from God, from religious leaders, from fellow religious participants; the Multi-Faith Religious Support Scale; MFRSS) and willingness to seek counseling (Willingness to See a Counselor scale; WSC). Religiosity did not play a significant role in influencing the willingness …


Construct Validity Of The Teate Depression Inventory: Convergent And Discriminant Validity And Equivalence For Black/African American And White/Caucasian Samples, Dylin Coons Jan 2020

Construct Validity Of The Teate Depression Inventory: Convergent And Discriminant Validity And Equivalence For Black/African American And White/Caucasian Samples, Dylin Coons

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to replicate the construct validity of a new measure of depression, the Teate Depression Inventory (TDI; Balsamo & Saggino, 2013), with the primary focus on Black/African American participants. Research has purported that Black/African Americans experience inequality in obtaining mental health care for internalizing disorders. This may partially be caused by errors in diagnosing these individuals with symptoms. Correctly diagnosing internalizing disorders is a critical step in obtaining appropriate treatment. More research on depression and anxiety is needed to enhance mental health practices by addressing the need for professionals to be culturally competent and conscious …


Role Of Emotion Regulation In The Relationship Between Fears Of Evaluation And Social Anxiety, Jaismeen Dua Jan 2019

Role Of Emotion Regulation In The Relationship Between Fears Of Evaluation And Social Anxiety, Jaismeen Dua

Masters Theses

Cognitive components influencing social anxiety have been well-researched for decades, especially fear of negative evaluation (Clark & Wells, 1995; Hofmann, 2007; Rapee & Heimberg, 1997; Schlenker & Leary, 1982). Relatively recent and emerging research has suggested a strong link between fear of negative evaluation and fear of positive evaluation, and how both of them influence social anxiety (Weeks, Heimberg, & Rodebaugh, 2008; Weeks et al., 2007; Weeks & Howell, 2012; Weeks et al., 2009). This study examined social anxiety in relation to both fear of negative evaluation and fear of positive evaluation. Findings from the study replicated previous research results, …


Parental Involvement And Academic Success During Emerging Adulthood, Michael V. Mendez Jan 2019

Parental Involvement And Academic Success During Emerging Adulthood, Michael V. Mendez

Masters Theses

Emerging adults are posited to experience their own life stage that differs from adolescents and adults in a variety of ways. This study explored the interaction between the parent-child relationship and emerging adult academic success. Participants were 275 university students who completed measures of their self-perception of adulthood including actual parental involvement and ideal parental involvement. These factors were examined among students who were academically at-risk and academically in good standing. Regardless of academic status, students indicated moderate to high levels of parental involvement, desired more parental involvement, and identified with the emerging adulthood stage more than any other life …


Pokemon Go And Mental Health, Nathaniel Ed Jan 2019

Pokemon Go And Mental Health, Nathaniel Ed

Masters Theses

Pokémon GO is a new type of game that emphasizes physical activity and social interaction. In the literature, both physical activity and social interactions have been shown to be positively correlated with mental health. Much research has been conducted on the effects of gaming on mental health, but to date no research has been done on the possible correlations of the game Pokémon GO and mental health. The present study was conducted to determine whether Pokémon GO players scored significantly lower than a control group of traditional garners on scales of depression, anxiety, and pathological gaming, and if they reported …


The Influences Of Social Media: Depression, Anxiety, And Self-Concept, Emily Baker Jan 2019

The Influences Of Social Media: Depression, Anxiety, And Self-Concept, Emily Baker

Masters Theses

The current study examined correlations between social media use and its effects on depression, anxiety, and changes in self-concept through quantitative and qualitative data. Variables included in the analysis of Study 1 were depression, anxiety, time spent using social media, number of platforms used, perception of addiction, and type of use. Study 1 showed no significant correlations between social media used and depression or anxiety, however observational analyses of correlation tables revealed a relationship between time spent using and number of platforms used; time spent using and perception of addiction; time spent using and perception of addiction; time spent using …


Relationship Of Self-Construal To Perceived Availability And Seeking Of Social Support By International Students Studying Abroad In The United States, Yue Zhang Jan 2019

Relationship Of Self-Construal To Perceived Availability And Seeking Of Social Support By International Students Studying Abroad In The United States, Yue Zhang

Masters Theses

This study was created to examine the relationship between different self-construals and the behavior of seeking social support or the perceived availability of social support. We recruited 84 international students who currently study abroad in the United States. Participants completed the Singelis Self-construal Scale (SCS; Singelis,1994) and a Social Support Scale created for the current study. The SCS measured the degree to which participants’ self-construals are Independent (IND) or Interdependent (INT). The Social Support Scale presented five different scenarios and asked participants to rate activities responding to two types of social support (tangible support and emotional support). I predicted that …


The Potential Benefits Of Using Humor To Reduce Prejudice And Violence, Ethan Radatz Jan 2018

The Potential Benefits Of Using Humor To Reduce Prejudice And Violence, Ethan Radatz

Masters Theses

In the field of social psychology, there have been multiple sources of research demonstrating the proposed links between prejudice and humor. The breadth of this research appears to hold the common theme of observing how the use of negative humor can disenfranchise different outgroups, or groups that seem to be at the bottom of the social ladder (e.g. the poor, marginalized ethnic/racial groups, sex, gender, and so on). Furthermore, the concepts of prejudice, as well as humor have been rarely observed through any nonviolence framework. The present study examined any relationship between humor (affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating), nonviolence (physical …


Predictors Of Bulimia Nervosa Symptoms, Paulina A. Zdanowicz Jan 2018

Predictors Of Bulimia Nervosa Symptoms, Paulina A. Zdanowicz

Masters Theses

Bulimia nervosa (BN) symptoms involve binge eating, compensatory behaviors, and preoccupation with food and body image. A wealth of research has linked factors such as impulsivity and obsessive-compulsive behaviors to BN. In contrast, social appearance anxiety has not been frequently studied, as it is a new concept, especially as it relates to BN symptoms. This study will examine the links of BN symptoms to social appearance anxiety, impulsivity, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Specifically, it was predicted that social appearance anxiety, impulsivity, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors will positively predict symptoms of BN. The main model in this study found that social appearance anxiety …


Social Anxiety And Drinking Behaviors In College Students: Mediated By Alcohol Outcome Expectancies Specific To Social Situations?, Toby Board Jan 2018

Social Anxiety And Drinking Behaviors In College Students: Mediated By Alcohol Outcome Expectancies Specific To Social Situations?, Toby Board

Masters Theses

Understanding the relationship between social anxiety and problematic drinking is a difficult task. Studies examining this relationship have commonly found a positive correlation between social anxiety and drinking behaviors, although the literature is marked by mixed results. If social anxiety does positively predict alcohol use, then what accounts for this relationship? Some researchers posit that alcohol outcome expectancies may be a mediator for this relationship. Alcohol outcome expectancies specific to the context of social evaluative situations may be a stronger mediator than general alcohol outcome expectancies. A study to test this mediation was conducted with xxx undergraduate students. Results showed …


The Relationship Between Beliefs About Suffering And Well-Being, Rebekah Bambenek Jan 2017

The Relationship Between Beliefs About Suffering And Well-Being, Rebekah Bambenek

Masters Theses

Suffering is a common human experience, and is a common underlying feature in those seeking psychological services. Throughout history, philosophy and religion have addressed the subject of human suffering directly, albeit in varying ways. The clinical practice of psychology also seeks to help alleviate suffering in those who seek services, yet the academic study of suffering has been overlooked. Academic psychology has examined the phenomenon of beliefs, and has studied various beliefs and their effects for decades. The present study sought to bring suffering into the academic discussion by examining beliefs about suffering and the well-studied variables of subjective and …


The Role Of Body Image, Dieting, Self-Esteem And Binge Eating In Health Behaviors, Neha M. Tamhane Jan 2017

The Role Of Body Image, Dieting, Self-Esteem And Binge Eating In Health Behaviors, Neha M. Tamhane

Masters Theses

Society’s obsession with an idealized thin body type has led to many individuals to seek several different, often harmful, methods to reach their body goals. Current research shows links between body image and self-esteem as well as that between dieting and binge eating-with many researchers finding that extreme dieting can lead to binge eating. The aim of this research was to assess the relationships between body image, dieting, binge eating and self-esteem to understand the ways these factors interact with each other. For this purpose, 60 female participants aged 18-26 years were recruited from Eastern Illinois University and asked to …


Associated Factors Of Posttraumatic Growth: A Meta-Analysis, Rong Xia Jan 2017

Associated Factors Of Posttraumatic Growth: A Meta-Analysis, Rong Xia

Masters Theses

During the past 20 years, posttraumatic growth has been recognized and emphasized to promote physical and psychological health after life-threatening events. There has also been an increasing number of individual studies on posttraumatic growth and its associated factors. However, it still remains unclear whether and how these relationships are facilitated. Therefore, the current meta-analysis aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding on the important associated factors of posttraumatic growth. Posttraumatic stress, event centrality, emotion regulation, and religious or spiritual coping and their actual relationships with posttraumatic growth were examined along with some potential moderators. Results from 56 studies (N = 20,132) …


Relationship Between Wisdom And Coping In College Students, Mahip Rathore Jan 2016

Relationship Between Wisdom And Coping In College Students, Mahip Rathore

Masters Theses

Wisdom is known as the pinnacle of personal growth and psychological functioning in humans. It has a distinguished place in philosophy and religion. Its examination as a psychological process started only a few decades ago, and has been a growing area of research since then. However, very limited research has been conducted so far that explores the developmental process of wisdom. The purpose of the present study was to investigate wisdom as a function of coping with difficulties of life. Only two studies have attempted to establish the relationship between wisdom and coping, with one being primarily qualitative in nature …


Is Unmitigated Communion Related To Depression And Anxiety?, Brett A. Vacek Jan 2015

Is Unmitigated Communion Related To Depression And Anxiety?, Brett A. Vacek

Masters Theses

Unmitigated communion is the focus on others to the exclusion of the self. This innate principle has been linked to depression in numerous studies. However, this construct has yet to be linked with rumination, worry, or even social anxiety. This paper reviews the literature on unmitigated communion, including recent studies that have dissected the variable into separate components (UC-self and UC- other) that could help in the identification of its dysfunctional properties. Furthermore, this paper will seek to determine whether unmitigated communion is connected to receiving or providing instrumental or emotional support, and whether this acts as a moderator in …


Moral Judgments Of Differing Transgressions & The Influence Of Willingness To Seek Counseling & Religiosity, Marni Naleway Jan 2015

Moral Judgments Of Differing Transgressions & The Influence Of Willingness To Seek Counseling & Religiosity, Marni Naleway

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine how moral judgments differ towards substance abusers and unfaithful spouses. Furthermore, the study compared judgments regarding the gender of the transgressor, the transgressor's willingness to go to counseling, and the participant's level of religiosity. Participants in the study were provided with a scenario describing a substance abuse transgression or an infidelity transgression followed by a survey of questions inquiring about their judgments towards the transgressor. Results indicated individuals judge a transgressor more harshly in an infidelity transgression compared to a substance abuse transgression. Results also indicated a gender bias between transgressions as …


Cyber-Victimization, Depression, And Social Anxiety Among College Students, Kenna L. Mager Jan 2015

Cyber-Victimization, Depression, And Social Anxiety Among College Students, Kenna L. Mager

Masters Theses

Cyber-victimization, a new form of bullying, emerged with the development and evolution of technology. Recent research shows discrepancies in cyber-victimization definitions and there are inconsistencies of methods used to measure cyber-victimization. This paper reviewed the literature on cyber-victimization and developed a new scale to measure cyber-victimization with the intention of making cyber-victimization research more consistent. The current study examined known correlates of cyber-victimization (e.g., depression and social anxiety) in a sample of college students using the newly developed measure. The current study also explored the moderating role of social support in the relationship between cyber-victimization and depression, as well as …