Psychology Commons^™

Investigating Body Dissatisfaction, Obesity, & Eating Pathology: African American Adolescent Girls & Mothers, Samantha Ronderos

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Body dissatisfaction is a globally prevalent issue among adolescents, particularly for those living in industrialized societies (Griffith et al., 2017). Body dissatisfaction is considered a central component of obesity intervention (Huh et at., 2011; Mitola et al., 2007) and eating disorder etiology (Kelly et al., 2005; Saunders & Frazier, 2016). It predominantly effects females and is commonly found among those with eating disorders and those who struggle with obesity or have higher BMI (Kelly et al., 2005; Saunders & Frazier, 2016). However this is contradicted in African American females, the majority of research has found low levels of body dissatisfaction, …

Examining Trauma, Aggression, And Anxiety In African American Girls, Katelyne Griffin-Todd

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of trauma through bully victimization, rates of aggression, and anxiety in African Americans (AA) and other minorities, as well as the influence that their weight has on these items is severely understudied. This study had four aims: 1) Evaluate the relationship of anxiety, victimization, and aggression in early adolescent AA females, 2) Observe whether the individuals who are victimized also report being aggressive in early adolescent AA females, 3) Investigate the relationship between weight, victimization, anxiety and aggression, 4) Test mediation effects of poverty ratio, and moderation of poverty level and caregivers education. This study contains 77 AA …

The Influence Of Autism Spectrum Disorder Disclosure On Peer Social Distancing In Higher Education, Hope Marie Sparks

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder are almost twenty percent less likely than their non-autistic peers to graduate college (White et al., 2017). The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, can be a significant facet of personal identity for many individuals on the spectrum. Due to this, disclosure of diagnoses can be a deeply personal decision and can be situational. Because college-age students on the spectrum are forming an identity concerning their diagnosis (Bent et al, 2016; Cox et al., 2017), peer social distancing behaviors are an important factor in student confidence and academic success. Researchers completed this study …

For Better Or For Worse? Cross Sectional Comparison Of University Student Stress, Coping, And Somatic Complaints Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sarah Cline

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated influences of the COVID-19 pandemic on university student stress, coping, and somatic health through exploratory analyses as cross sectionally compared to university student samples collected prior to and during the pandemic. 483 emerging adult participants were collected total, 262 surveyed via Health Psychology and Physiology courses prior to the pandemic and 221 were surveyed via UNF’s SONA system. Consenting participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale -14 (PSS-14), Ways of Coping Scale, and Physical Symptoms Checklist Questionnaire. Referencing literature based on student stress, coping, and somatic health as outcomes of non-normative events, it was predicted that pandemic …

Do You Copy? Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Auditory Processing, And Heart Rate Variability, Lyndsey Johnson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self -report measures used in PTSD research have the potential to limit the degree of symptom severity in military veterans, especially as there is often underreporting in this population (Kline, Falca-Dodson, Susner et al., 2010). Polyvagal Theory provides a framework assessing if physiological measures can tap into PTSD Symptomology (Porges, 1995). It is therefore hypothesized that lower scores on auditory processing tests will be positively correlated with higher scores on Stress and PTSD measures. Additionally, it is thought that lower scores on auditory processing tedts as well as higher scores on PTSD and Stress Measures will be positively correlated with …

Disentangling The Role Of Self-Esteem On Eating Disorders In African American Youth, Carly Alexandria Wagner

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self- esteem (SE) has been identified to have a significant impact on eating disorders (ED). Although previous studies have found a relationship between SE and EDs, further investigation in needed because SE and EDs affect gender, age, weight status, and ethnicity heterogeneously. In particular, there is limited research and inconsistent findings on the impact of SE on EDs in youth, males, and African Americans (AAs). This study had six aims: 1) Observe gender and age differences in SE, 2) Examine the impact of weight status on SE, 3) Observe gender and age effects on EDs, 4) Examine the impact of …

Depressive Rumination And The Mood-As-Input Hypothesis: The Role Of Reverse Catastrophizing, Enrique Cibrian

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mood-as-input hypothesis (MAIH) has been consistently examined in relation to worry, but few studies have examined its role in depressive rumination. Fewer studies have examined congruency effects, such that conditions of mood and perseverative task are congruent (i.e., negative mood and negative preservative task vs. positive mood and positive perseverative task). The current study thus examines the MAIH’s applicability to depressive rumination, includes further investigation on mood congruency, and incorporates a newly constructed positive rumination task to further assess the impact of the valency of a ruminative task. Undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions based …

Self-Monitoring, Binge Eating Disorder, Internalized Weight Stigma And Neuroticism: A Moderated-Mediation Model, Arielle Catherine Kantor

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the univariate model of self-monitoring, individuals are categorized as either high or low self-monitors. In the bivariate model of self-monitoring, individuals differ with respect to two dimensions, namely acquisitive and protective self-monitoring. Self-monitoring, in both conceptions, is related to physical and mental health characteristics including higher weight, external cue sensitivity, and neuroticism. The aforementioned characteristics are also present in individuals with binge eating disorder. We predicted individuals higher in protective self-monitoring and univariate high self-monitoring would exhibit greater binge eating disorder symptomatology than would individuals lower in both conceptions of self-monitoring. We also predicted internalized weight stigma would mediate …

Food Insecurity And Children: How Food Insecurity Affects Mental Health In Children, Brianna L. Jordan

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Being without the financial means to have reliable access to enough food to sustain members of a household is known as Food Insecurity (FI; Gundersen, 2013). Previous research has linked FI to obesity and depression (Adams, Grummer-Strawn, & Chavez, 2003; Bronte-Tinkew, Zaslow, Capps, Horowitz, & Mcnamara, 2007; Huddleston-Casas, Charnigo, & Simmons, 2009; Kim & Frongillo, 2007). Although there have been findings about FI being related to depression and obesity, little research has used African Americans; even less research has used young adolescents as the target population. This study had five aims: 1) Observe the impact of FI on health, 2) …

Attrition In Behavioral Parent Training Programs In Clinical And Community Settings: A Meta-Analytic Review, Brett C. Michael

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

It is estimated that approximately 16-20% of youth will develop a diagnosable behavior disorder. Behavioral parent training is a valuable approach to address disruptive behaviors by teaching parents how to effectively manage their child’s challenging behavior with non-physical disciplinary techniques. While these programs are generally effective, attrition rates have been found to be as high as 60% in some cases. This review provides information about the characteristics commonly associated with these programs, the attrition rates of each program, and the general effectiveness of the programs. Meta-analytic procedures were implemented to identify contributing factors leading to withdrawal from intervention.

Keywords: …

The Inevitability Of Decay: Disability In Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man And The Sea, Dominic Robin

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To many, Ernest Hemingway embodies a certain image of "masculinity," one centered around ability and physical performance. Such a narrative ignores the truly complicated and dynamic shape his understanding of the body took. Through an analysis of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, I examine the form this ideology took in his later life, focusing particularly on Hemingway's evolved understanding of the body. Through this research, a more nuanced picture of Hemingway emerges, one that recognizes the complicated and dynamic nature his view of the "able" body took.

Ptsd’S True Color; Examining The Effect Of A Short-Term Coloring Intervention On The Stress, Anxiety And Working Memory Of Veterans With Ptsd., Jourdan A. Rodak

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to explore the effect a coloring condition had on minimizing anxiety and stress experienced daily by veterans. The effect that coloring had on working memory was also explored.

A sample of 24 armed forces veterans were split into two coloring conditions, a mandala and a free draw condition, and asked to complete the Primary Care PTSD Screen, the Perceived Stress Scale and the Brief State Trait Anxiety Inventory. Working memory scores were established via a Backward Digit Recall task; pre-and posttest scores were evaluated for significant differences.

Our research suggests the act of coloring, …

Sentence Recall In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Brett Wallace

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is an age-shift in neurotypical children: younger children tend to remember information in a verbatim manner so they store item-specific surface characteristics; between nine and ten children engage in gist recall where they store meanings of presented information. The aim of the present study was to explore false memory in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as some research suggests that they develop gist recall at a later age than neurotypical children. We are also interested in the role of working memory.

One approach to understanding false memory creation is activation-monitoring (AM) theory. Working memory can play a role …

My Own Worst Enemy: Exploring Factors That Predict Self-Harm, Matthew Allen Loesch

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current research on factors predicting self-harm focus on disparate factors and may not be able to comprehensively explain the mechanisms causing self-harm. The aim of the current study was to examine factors that may be related yet independently predict self-harm. Factors discussed include rumination, self-criticism, and working memory. A binary logistic regression found that the only factor that predicted the presence of self-harming behavior was a high level of self-criticism. Further, a Classification and Regression Tree found that the single strongest predictor of self-harming behavior was a belief that love needs to be continually earned from others. Our findings have …