Psychology Commons^™

A Scoping Review Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy In Higher Education, Sarah Caimano

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a transdiagnostic intervention that holds promise in improving well-being across various contexts. The current scoping review aims to examine the literature on the use of ACT interventions in higher education to improve aspects of student well-being and academic outcomes. Chapter 2 summarizes the results of the review and includes 34 peer-reviewed empirical research articles that applied ACT interventions with higher education students. Online and in-person interventions were both widely used and found to be effective. Though these outcomes are promising, nearly half of the articles reviewed provided insufficient detail to allow for replication and …

Understanding Transitional Mental Health And Interpersonal Needs Of Newcomer Youth During Resettlement: Seeking Guidance To Strengthen Mental Health Programming, Anjali Ruparelia

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study investigated the supports that newcomer youth may need to promote positive well-being and foster healthy relationships during early resettlement. This study employed qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews with four newcomer youth between the ages of 14 and 21 years old who have been in Canada for at least two years. Interview data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA). The results indicated that newcomer youth experience significant resettlement challenges and barriers including language barriers, culture shock, and feeling lonely and isolated within their new environments. However, newcomer youth participants also reported that they found various strengths and resources …

Virtual Reality, Mindfulness And Their Associations To Personality Traits, Somer Schaffer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mindfulness, conceptualized as actively noticing and engaging with oneself and one’s surroundings with a nonjudgmental mind, is associated with many positive outcomes such as healthy relationships, stress reduction, performance engagement, and increased well-being. Virtual reality (VR) technologies offer people immersive experiences to engage with novel environments for entertaining and therapeutic purposes. While in any VR environment, participants may perceive themselves as if they are in the scenes, that is, they experience moment-to-moment awareness and immersion in these virtual environments. Thus, practicing mindfulness meditation with technologies like smartphones and VR has become increasingly popular over the past decade. However, little research …

The Nature Of Well-Being, Shai L. Butler

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This research project focuses on the nature and causes of well-being. Though the study of well-being has proliferated in recent years, the nature and causes of well-being are difficult to discern. This research aims to gain clarity by appealing to the disciplines of philosophy and psychology.

Well-being is a multi-dimensional construct and has been philosophized and theorized by many scholars and thought leaders throughout history. This research aggregates a multitude of theories, approaches, and philosophies to explain the nature of well-being. Psychologists created SWPP, SWB, lifespan research, emotional regulation and mindfulness theory, PWB, and WBT to understand well-being. Additionally, they …

The Need For Purpose: The Desire For Meaningful Direction As A Fundamental Human Motivation, Jose A. Espinoza Mogollon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The present research investigated the hypothesis that humans have an innate and fundamental need for purpose. This need is defined as a pervasive drive for a sense of meaningful direction and the experience of progress toward associated objectives. First, theoretical development of the need for purpose is presented, along with a review of the existing research literature covering evidence for the need for purpose’s fulfillment of well-established criteria for evaluating needs. This review is followed by three empirical studies developing a measure assessing satisfaction and frustration of purpose, examining an initial nomological network of the construct, and testing whether purpose …

The Relationship Between Extracurricular Activities And The Well-Being Of Undergraduate Students, Angelica C. Galluzzo

Undergraduate Honours Theses

Extracurricular involvement is a large part of the undergraduate student experience. Mental health can be affected when students are both mandated and encouraged to meet certain requirements, whether they are for an academic program or for experience and well-being. The current study was designed to analyze the relationship between extracurricular participation and well-being. The sample included 70 undergraduate students from the University of Western Ontario. Several hypotheses were proposed based on the type of extracurricular activity and well-being measure. The findings supported two out of the five hypotheses advanced, but also produced several other noteworthy findings. The most significant variable …

A Nature Walk A Day, Keeps Unhappiness Away: Restorative Campus Environments And Student Well-Being, Justine Albert

Undergraduate Honours Theses

The increasing world population is leading to rapid and extensive urbanization. This over-stimulating built environment may be causing an increased rate of stress-related illnesses amongst urban populations. Similarly, to large cities, university campuses are also often centralized built environments brimming with activity and distraction, centered around student life, academic pursuits and communal events, resulting in a barrage of stimulation and distraction Generally, university students spend the majority of their time immersed in these overstimulating campuses, engaging in activities that require sustained attention, which, similar to urban spaces, may cause mental and attentional fatigue leading to reduced well-being. Green spaces are …

The Relationship Between Perceived Sedentary Behaviour And Psychological Health, Kelsey Sick

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The present study examined relationships between individuals’ perceptions of their level of sedentary behaviour, as compared with other people their age, and mental health and well-being. Adults (n = 374, M_age= 60% between 18 and 24) completed the online Perceived Sedentary Behaviour and Psychological Health Survey which assessed perceptions of sedentary behaviour on a typical weekday and weekend day, mental health and well-being (i.e., depression, state anxiety, perceived stress, mental well-being, mental health function), and potential covariates that have known associations with mental well-being (e.g., sociodemographic characteristics, health status factors, actual sitting time). Perceived sedentary behaviour …

Teachers` Dual Commitment To The Organization And Occupation: A Person-Centered Investigation, John P. Meyer, Alexandre J. S. Morin, Laura J. Stanley, Elyse R. Maltin

Psychology Publications

This study extends previous commitment research by applying person-centered analytic techniques to identify and compare profiles of affective, normative, and continuance commitment to the organization and occupation. Latent profile analyses applied to data from 336 Canadian teachers revealed five profiles with unique combinations of the three commitment mindsets across the two targets. Differences observed across profiles in teachers’ turnover intention and physical and psychological well-being are used to illustrate the benefits of taking a more holistic approach to the investigation of commitment compared to analyses involving individual targets and/or mindsets. Implications for commitment theory, future research, and practice are discussed.

Emotional Intelligence & Mental Health In The Classroom: Experiences Of Canadian Teachers, Sarah Candice Roslyn Pyne

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Teaching has been noted to be one of the most demanding careers, yet, there is limited research exploring teachers’ experiences with respect to mental health or wellness. Research suggests that emotional exhaustion and mental health concerns may be on the rise among teachers; this not only has a negative impact on teachers’ well-being, but also on students’ learning, academic engagement and stress levels. While there is promising research that identifies emotional intelligence (EI) may be a protective factor in teacher wellness, there is a paucity of research exploring possible connections. The current study explores EI in relation to teacher mental …

The Relationship Between Nature Relatedness, Trait Emotional Intelligence And Well-Being, Priscilla R. Gerofsky, Priscilla R. Gerofsky

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Prior research has shown that nature relatedness (NR) and trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) are both associated with various well-being measures (Bhullar, Schutte, & Malouff, 2013; Furnham & Petrides, 2003; Nisbet, Zelenski, & Murphy, 2011; Zelenski & Nisbet, 2014); however, no prior research has examined the relationship between NR and trait EI. The current study was undertaken to determine which well-being measures are associated with NR and trait EI, and to determine if there is any association between NR and trait EI. Participants were 315 adults from 54 countries, who completed online questionnaires. Questionnaires included the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire …

The Relationship Between Nature Relatedness, Trait Emotional Intelligence And Well-Being, Priscilla R. Gerofsky

Undergraduate Honors Posters

Prior research has shown that nature relatedness (NR) and trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) are both associated with various well-being measures (Bhullar, Schutte, & Malouff, 2013; Furnham & Petrides, 2003; Nisbet, Zelenski, & Murphy, 2011; Zelenski & Nisbet, 2014); however, no prior research has examined the relationship between NR and trait EI. The current study was undertaken to determine which well-being measures are associated with NR and trait EI, and to determine if there is any association between NR and trait EI. Participants were 315 adults from 54 countries, who completed online questionnaires. Questionnaires included the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire …

Resiliency And Well-Being: Trajectories Of Change Over Time, Matthew Mclarnon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Resiliency is often considered an attribute that can assist an individual in overcoming adversity. The predominant theme in the literature is that resiliency is positively related to achieving positive outcomes after a challenging experience. For example, stemming from Luthans and colleagues’ work on Psychological Capital (Luthans, Youssef, & Avolio, 2007), resiliency has been positively linked to psychological well-being, job satisfaction, and job performance. However, scant research is available on the processes behind resiliency and the mechanisms that promote well-being in the face of adversity. Therefore, the two studies comprising this dissertation aimed to address focal research questions around a) why …

Motivation And Well-Being: A Test Of Self-Determination Theory Using A Person-Centered Approach, Chelsea A. Vaters

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Self-determination theory postulates that individuals can experience motivation in different ways and that these different types of motivation fall along a continuum from controlled to autonomous regulation. Recently, there have been challenges to the notion that an individual’s motivation can be categorized as falling at a particular point along the autonomy continuum. Researchers have begun to investigate the possibility that individuals can experience different types of motivation simultaneously. The current study used a person-centered approach to study motivation and also examined how the profiles detected related to well-being outcomes and adaptive student behaviours. Latent profile analyses of data from two …

A Latent Profile Analysis Of Romantic Relationship Quality And Its Associations With Personality, Partner Support, And Psychological Well-Being, Samantha Chen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study investigated the number of relationship quality profiles that emerge from a latent profile analysis and subsequently examined the nature of each subgroup using predictors of partner social support and personality, as well as outcomes of psychological well-being. The application of latent profile analysis resulted in three profiles of low, moderate, and high relationship quality among a sample of university students. Additionally, predictors and outcomes of profile membership were incorporated to provide a greater descriptive understanding of the latent profiles. Results showed that the relationship between intimacy and passion and the relationship between relationship satisfaction and received esteem …

The Integration And Evaluation Of Humor And Positive Psychology Approaches To Well-Being, Nadia Maiolino

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The research domains of humor and positive psychology promote strategies that can enhance well-being. However, these lines of investigation have proceeded in relative isolation. Therefore, this thesis considered how positive psychology constructs, namely, gratitude and savoring, share features with the humor styles. Study 1 mapped out the inter-relationships among these strategies, as differentially used by individuals. Findings indicated that these strategies share meaningful relationships, and that humor and positive psychology have unique roles within the context of well-being. The humor styles also moderated relationships gratitude shared with well-being. Study 2 extended this work by manipulating use of positive psychology and …

Attributions & Resiliency: An Analysis Of The Resiliency-Attribution Association, Aaron J. Halliday

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study sought to provide support for the King-Rothstein (2010) model of resiliency and to establish an understanding of the relationship between resiliency and causal attributions. A cross-sectional study investigated these relationships using an online questionnaire battery. Some associative and predictive relationships were found between causal attributions and resiliency. Components of resiliency were predictive of job satisfaction and support and symptoms of psychological illness. Given a path analysis, the King-Rothstein model of resiliency was found to be most predictive of the outcome symptoms of psychological illness (over job satisfaction and support or wellbeing). Finally, mediation analysis revealed self-regulatory processes fully …

Friendly Antagonism In Humorous Interactions: Explorations Of Prosocial Teasing, David J. Podnar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite research and theory noting the aggressive and destructive applications of teasing, few studies have investigated its positive uses. The present research explores the use of "prosocial teasing", a positively-intended form of teasing which relies on the playful use of seemingly negative remarks (e.g., "You’re an idiot"), which are incongruent with the established relationship, and aim to indirectly and ironically express positive relational messages to others (e.g., "I accept you"). The goals of the present research are to (1) present a theoretical model of prosocial teasing, (2) construct and validate a self-report measure of prosocial teasing behaviour [i.e., Prosocial Teasing …

Cultural Connectedness As Personal Wellness In First Nations Youth, Ben Davis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Adolescent development involves changes in self-concept and identification with different groups or cultural norms. Many First Nations adolescents have additional difficulties due to disconnections with family, schooling and cultural background, as a legacy of colonisation and social marginalisation. The present study used data from the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey, Youth, Phase 2 to test the hypothesis that connectedness to social and cultural factors would predict lower rates of reported depression in First Nations youth, using a logistic regression analysis. The findings indicated that connectedness to family and school, as well as having a sense of control over one's …