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Full-Text Articles in Psychology
Examining The Moderating Role Of Executive Functioning On Flooding And Intimate Partner Violence, Gabriella Damewood
Examining The Moderating Role Of Executive Functioning On Flooding And Intimate Partner Violence, Gabriella Damewood
Theses and Dissertations
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is highly prevalent, so much so that it has been described as a global public health crisis. Therefore, it is important to elucidate what conditions increase risk for IPV to better understand its etiology. Research emphasizing dyadic and self-regulatory processes may shed light on what differentiates those who perpetrate IPV. Specifically, both emotional flooding and executive functioning (EF) deficits have been implicated with IPV, but it is unclear how these variables may interact in predicting dating aggression. The current study explored how emotional flooding may differentially amplify risk for IPV under varying levels of executive functioning …
When Crying Turns To Hitting: Examining Maternal Responses To Negative Affect, Brooke Edelman
When Crying Turns To Hitting: Examining Maternal Responses To Negative Affect, Brooke Edelman
Theses and Dissertations
Most children exhibit some form of physical aggression in the first years of life, and physical aggression is particularly common in toddlerhood (Hay, 2005; Lorber et al., 2017; Lorber et al., 2019; Nærde et al., 2014; Tremblay & Nagin, 2005). Further, aggression is conceptualized as a byproduct of frustration and related negative affect (Berkowitz, 1989), and early physical aggression is empirically linked to anger (Lorber et al., 2015). The current study is part of a body of research examining early aggression and will explore the mechanisms by which children’s negative affect escalates to aggression in a brief conflict episode. Given …
Witnessing Community Violence And Its Consequences: Changes Across Middle School, Sarah Pittman
Witnessing Community Violence And Its Consequences: Changes Across Middle School, Sarah Pittman
Theses and Dissertations
Community violence exposure is prevalent among youth residing in economically marginalized communities that have high rates of violence. Witnessing community violence has been concurrently associated with persistent adverse consequences. However, few studies have applied a developmental psychopathology framework and examined dynamic developmental processes between witnessing community violence and outcomes over time. Moreover, most prior studies have used analyses that assume that associations between witnessing violence and outcomes are the same for all adolescents, which is inconsistent with both developmental theories and theories specific to community violence exposure. The goal of this study was to apply a developmental psychopathological framework to …
Identifying Subtypes Of Dysfunctional Anger: A Latent Profile Analysis Of The Anger Disorders Scale (Ads), Katharine Romero
Identifying Subtypes Of Dysfunctional Anger: A Latent Profile Analysis Of The Anger Disorders Scale (Ads), Katharine Romero
Theses and Dissertations
Although we see patients present to outpatient and inpatient settings with problematic anger as frequently as with anxiety and depression (Lachmund et al., 2005), we lack the diagnostic categories for anger that most affective disturbances have been granted by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5: American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Anger is, instead, most often seen as an aspect of the pathology within a wide range of mood and personality disorders. DiGiuseppe and Tafrate (2007) proposed 13 subtypes of disturbed anger via a hierarchical cluster analysis of the Anger Disorders Scale (ADS) standardization data. While more recent attempts …
The Role Of Emotionally-Supportive Teacher Beliefs And Behavior In Student Aggression, Bridget Garrity Brinckman
The Role Of Emotionally-Supportive Teacher Beliefs And Behavior In Student Aggression, Bridget Garrity Brinckman
Theses and Dissertations
Overt aggression is a pervasive problem in schools. In 2017 alone, the US Department of Education reported over 360,000 aggressive incidents. According to the General Aggression Model, emotion regulation plays a key role in aggression. Teachers play a role in student regulation through their supportive (e.g., expressive-encouragement) and unsupportive (e.g., punitive) responses to students. This study examined the role of the classroom teacher in student aggression. Teacher emotion-focused beliefs about both the reasons for aggression and the effectiveness of emotionally-supportive responses to aggression, were explored. Teacher likelihood of mental health referral for anger and fighting (i.e., an emotion and behavior …
Articulating The Heart Of Darkness: A Psychometric And Behavioral Analysis Of The Relationship Between Psychopathy And Sadism, Emily Lasko
Theses and Dissertations
Psychopathy and sadism, personality constructs largely characterized by antagonistic tendencies, share several similar traits and behaviors such as cruelty, callousness, and antisocial behavior. Due to this overlap, it remains unclear whether sadism is simply a facet of psychopathy, or they represent distinct but related constructs. The degree of overlap and distinction between these traits has yet to be empirically and thoroughly examined; therefore, the present project had two overarching interconnected aims: 1) Investigate the degree of psychometric overlap between psychopathy and sadism, and 2) examine potential behavioral distinctions between psychopathy and sadism. In Study 1, participants completed an online battery …
Temperament And Aggression: Examining The Link Between A Shy And Inhibited Temperament And Reactive And Proactive Aggression, Samantha L. Croney
Temperament And Aggression: Examining The Link Between A Shy And Inhibited Temperament And Reactive And Proactive Aggression, Samantha L. Croney
Theses and Dissertations
Temperament dimensions of shyness and inhibitory control relate to how a child presents themselves socially in uncertain situations. Although prior research has found evidence linking temperament and aggression, little attention has been given to temperament dimensions of shyness and inhibitory control and the subtypes of aggressive behaviors. This distinction could be crucial as some children may be more likely to use aggression to interact with others due to their shy nature or may act react aggressively in situations that are unfamiliar. The goal of this study was to understand how the temperament dimensions of shyness and inhibitory control and gender …
Does Inhibitory Control And Emotion Regulation Alter The Degree To Which Aggressogenic Thought Is Expressed?, Jessica Lindsey Held
Does Inhibitory Control And Emotion Regulation Alter The Degree To Which Aggressogenic Thought Is Expressed?, Jessica Lindsey Held
Theses and Dissertations
The effects of emotion dysregulation and inhibitory control on aggressogenic thought-behavior associations were investigated among 362 fifth- and sixth-grade boys (n = 195) and girls (n = 167) on Long Island, New York. Other-reported anger dysregulation and inhibitory control significantly qualified the relationship between all three cognitions (hostile attributions of intent, revenge goals in both ambiguous and unambiguous situations, and self-efficacy) and aggression. However, our predicted pattern for these 3-way interaction was supported only when the cognition involved self-efficacy—self-efficacy for aggression was most strongly associated with aggressive behavior under high levels of anger dysregulation and low levels of inhibitory control. …
Parenting And Physical Aggression Across Infancy, Brooke Edelman
Parenting And Physical Aggression Across Infancy, Brooke Edelman
Theses and Dissertations
While physical aggression is known to be common in toddlerhood, new research suggests that aggression is evident even in infancy. Further, early aggression is stable and predicts maladaptive outcomes later in life. Research supports close associations between harsh, overreactive discipline and physical aggression in early childhood. Harsh discipline encourages and maintains coercive processes in which reciprocal, transactional interchanges escalate aversive behaviors in both parent and child. In accordance with a developmental system perspective, we hypothesized that the congruency between parenting and aggression would increase with age as a result of these transactional interactions on the dyad. A normative US sample …
The Influence Of Peers On Adolescents' Physical Aggression: The Moderating Roles Of Parental Messages Supporting Fighting And Nonviolence, Jasmine Coleman
The Influence Of Peers On Adolescents' Physical Aggression: The Moderating Roles Of Parental Messages Supporting Fighting And Nonviolence, Jasmine Coleman
Theses and Dissertations
There is substantial support for the link between peer factors and adolescents’ aggression. Less is known about protective factors that may mitigate the relation between peer factors and aggression. Parental influences, such as parental messaging supporting fighting, have been directly associated with aggression. What remains unclear is the extent to which parental messages supporting fighting and nonviolence might serve as protective factors in relations between negative peer interactions and aggressive behavior. The purpose of this study was to investigate longitudinal effects of peerson adolescents’ physical aggression and to examine the extent to which parental messages supporting fighting and nonviolence moderated …
When Children Hurt You: Examining The Experiences Of Clinicians Who Work With Aggressive Young Children, Melisa Madsen
When Children Hurt You: Examining The Experiences Of Clinicians Who Work With Aggressive Young Children, Melisa Madsen
Theses and Dissertations
This grounded theory qualitative research study examined the experiences of mental health staff who work with aggressive young children under the age of 9. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, participants were asked about individual and organizational aspects that affect the care they provide to young children and their decision to stay with the organization. 14 mental health professionals from five different intensive outpatient programs for youth with behavioral concerns were interviewed. Data were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s (1998) three-step data analysis process of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. In answer to the question “What experiences do …
Effects Of Competition In Violent And Nonviolent Video Games On Aggressive/Prosocial Behavior, Christopher Edward Hawk
Effects Of Competition In Violent And Nonviolent Video Games On Aggressive/Prosocial Behavior, Christopher Edward Hawk
Theses and Dissertations
Previous research shows that playing violent video games leads to increases in aggressive feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. However, recent research has questioned the reliability of these findings. Two important variables associated with aggressive outcomes that have yet to be fully explored in the violent video game literature are the competitive aspects of the games and the outcomes of that competition (e.g., winning or losing). The present study was a two (gameplay: violent vs. nonviolent) by two (difficulty: easy vs. hard) by three (competition: no competition vs. competition win vs. competition lose) between-subjects factorial design, with aggressive/prosocial behavior measured as the …
Aggression, Impulsivity, And Symptom Severity: An Examination Of Risk Factors For Violent Behaviors, Melissa Charfadi
Aggression, Impulsivity, And Symptom Severity: An Examination Of Risk Factors For Violent Behaviors, Melissa Charfadi
Theses and Dissertations
This study sought to explore the relationship between psychopathology, aggression, and impulsivity. Two hypotheses were derived from the existing scientific literature: First, as a validity check, we anticipated that levels of psychopathology would be related to both aggression and impulsivity (as previously reported data suggests). Second, we anticipated that impulsivity would moderate the relationship between overall symptom severity and aggression. Finally, we constructed exploratory regression models to examine the contribution of specific types of impulsivity in the prediction of specific acts of aggression across BSI symptom groupings. Data was collected using Rowan University undergraduate students that completed an in-person battery …
Building A Bond: Longitudinal Relations Between Interpersonal School Climate, Student Awareness And Reporting Of Violence, And Peer Victimization And Aggression In Adolescents, Kathryn Behrhorst
Theses and Dissertations
High prevalence rates and negative outcomes of peer-based aggression and victimization during early adolescence underscore the need to identify causes and consequences of these outcomes. Limited research has examined the impact of environmental and contextual factors, such as school climate, on peer aggression and victimization. Few studies have addressed relations between school climate and specific subtypes of physical and relational aggression and victimization. Although school climate has been assessed via interpersonal subsystems (i.e., student-student and student-teacher relationships), little research has incorporated the role of student awareness and reporting of violence and safety concerns. Further, studies are needed that consider the …
News Outlets In Social Media: Aggression In Comments, Leslie G. Holt
News Outlets In Social Media: Aggression In Comments, Leslie G. Holt
Theses and Dissertations
Facebook has played a significant role in society since 2004. Not only do individuals use the social media platform, but most prominent news sources have their own Facebook pages which serve as a primary news source for many people. Individuals can comment publicly under any article, thus creating a type of community in which Facebook users can share their opinions and debate with one another. The purpose of this study was to examine specific news source postings on Facebook on October 1, 2015 through October 2, 2015. The study analyzed the first 500 comments under each article posted about the …
Longitudinal Relations Between Parental Messages Supporting Fighting And Aggressive Behavior In Early Adolescence: The Moderating Role Of Positive Parenting Practices, Megan M. Carlson
Theses and Dissertations
The prevalence of physical aggression increases during adolescence and is associated with negative health outcomes. It is important to identify risk and protective processes for adolescent aggression in the context of the parent-adolescent relationship. The current study examined the potential moderating role of positive parenting at Wave 1 on relations between perceived parental messages supporting fighting at Wave 1 and adolescent aggression based on parent- and student-report at Wave 2. Participants included a sample of 537 adolescents and their primary caregivers, recruited from four sites in the U.S. No significant moderating effects were found. However, parental messages supporting fighting were …
Mothers' Views Of Their Children's Anxiety In Autism: A Qualitative Approach, Jessica Mae Palilla
Mothers' Views Of Their Children's Anxiety In Autism: A Qualitative Approach, Jessica Mae Palilla
Theses and Dissertations
Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which is marked by severe social disabilities, also present with higher rates of anxiety. Understanding the qualitative symptoms that underlie anxiety in ASD may help to better characterize the overlap of ASD and anxiety symptomology and suggest targeted treatment strategies. Twenty mothers with male children diagnosed with high-functioning ASD were interviewed using a follow-up interview to the SCAS parent rating scale, in order to better understand how mothers perceive their child's anxious thoughts, behaviors and cognitions. All interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was used to analyze the results. Eight themes emerged from …
Bibliotherapy As An Intervention For Aggressive Elementary Children, Kari Newman
Bibliotherapy As An Intervention For Aggressive Elementary Children, Kari Newman
Theses and Dissertations
This study investigated the effect of bibliotherapy as an intervention for aggressive elementary children at a residential treatment center in the western United States. Bibliotherapy was provided for six children, three boys and three girls, ages 9 to 11, Caucasian and Hispanic, who took part in one of two groups. The study involved a multi-baseline design, beginning with a baseline phase, followed by two separate intervention phases comprised of eight sessions of bibliotherapy. Data gathered from almost daily observations along with pre- and post-intervention ratings of aggressive behaviors indicated that four of the six students demonstrated notable decreases in observed …
The Influence Of Executive Functions And Emotion Regulation On Teacher-Rated Social Behaviors In Middle Childhood, Tennisha N. Riley
The Influence Of Executive Functions And Emotion Regulation On Teacher-Rated Social Behaviors In Middle Childhood, Tennisha N. Riley
Theses and Dissertations
Early social interactions are important to developing and maintaining positive social relationships in childhood. It is well understood that the social development is dependent on a number of developmental changes in both cognition and emotion. While most research has focused on cognitive and emotional models of social behaviors separately, a consideration for research investigating social behaviors is to examine cognitive processing and emotional processing concurrently. The current work focuses on the relationship between the executive processes involved in cognition and emotion regulation, and the influence on adaptive (social skills) and maladaptive (aggressive behavior) social behaviors. Specifically, the reformulated social behavioral …
Maternal Health And Child Behaviors As Risk Factors For Child Injury, Christina J. Nicolais
Maternal Health And Child Behaviors As Risk Factors For Child Injury, Christina J. Nicolais
Theses and Dissertations
Evidence suggests that child behavior, parent mental health, parent supervision, and home environment conditions impact a child’s risk of injury. Vulnerable families are at greater risk for the occurrence of child behavior problems, poor health, decreased supervision, and hazardous home conditions. Consistent with a model that proposes that parent, child, and environment factors interact within the lens of sociocultural factors to predict injury, the current study aimed to test a statistical model with maternal physical health and child externalizing behaviors as predictors of child injury, and home hazards and supervision as mediators of these relations. Analyses were conducted using a …
The Role Of Social Information Processing In The Relation Between Interparental Conflict And Child Aggression, Kimberly Parker
The Role Of Social Information Processing In The Relation Between Interparental Conflict And Child Aggression, Kimberly Parker
Theses and Dissertations
Crick and Dodge’s SIP theoretical model proposes that children use previously stored memories, past experiences, and formed representations that influence six mechanisms that are in turn used in deciding how to act in social situations (Crick & Dodge, 1994). Research has demonstrated a strong link between social information processing (SIP) and child aggression. Furthermore, SIP has been shown to mediate the relation between several parenting practices and child aggression. Research has also shown a strong relation between interparental conflict and child aggression. The focus of the current study was to determine if SIP serves as a mediator between parental conflict …
Family Processes As Moderators Of The Impact Of Peer, School, And Neighborhood Influences On Adolescent Aggression, Alison Kramer-Kuhn
Family Processes As Moderators Of The Impact Of Peer, School, And Neighborhood Influences On Adolescent Aggression, Alison Kramer-Kuhn
Theses and Dissertations
Despite theoretical support for the role of the family in providing a foundation to protect youth against risks for aggression, there is little published literature examining a protective influence. This study examined family functioning and perceived parental messages about fighting and nonviolence as moderators of the relation between risk factors and adolescent aggression. The specific risk factors included affiliating with a delinquent group of peers, attending a school with norms that support aggression, and witnessing violence within the community. Secondary analyses were conducted on data collected from a high-risk sample of 537 adolescents in 2 cohorts from 18 schools. Adolescents …
The Forgotten Medium: The Impact Of Reading Violent Literature On Aggressive Thoughts, Mckay Robert Stevens
The Forgotten Medium: The Impact Of Reading Violent Literature On Aggressive Thoughts, Mckay Robert Stevens
Theses and Dissertations
Media violence in television, film, video games, and music has been linked to increased aggression. Only in recent years have researchers begun to investigate the impact that reading violent literature can have on individuals. The present study exposed individuals to either a violent or nonviolent story and measured aggressive cognitions. No significant effect was found for story type on aggressive cognitions but a gender effect for aggressive word completions was found. Discussion centers on possible differences between media types as well as future suggestions for investigations into violent literature.
The Reciprocal Relation Between Maternal Depressive Symptomatology And Adolescents’ Aggression: The Role Of Parenting Practices And Family Functioning, Kelly Pugh
Theses and Dissertations
Research on family influences on adolescents’ aggression has revealed a relation between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ frequency of aggression. A recent cross-sectional study of these relations (Pugh & Farrell, 2011) indicated that maternal depressive symptoms had a significant relation with teachers,’ students,’ and mothers’ reports of adolescents’ aggression. This effect was mediated by parenting practices and family functioning. The cross-sectional designs used in previous studies examining relations between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ aggression make it difficult to draw clear inferences regarding the causal nature of this association. The present study used longitudinal data across five waves of data …
Videogames And Friendships: Contextual Factors That Influence The Willingness To Aggress Following The Playing Of A Violent Videogame, Jonathan Charles Edwin Rogers
Videogames And Friendships: Contextual Factors That Influence The Willingness To Aggress Following The Playing Of A Violent Videogame, Jonathan Charles Edwin Rogers
Theses and Dissertations
Participants (N = 73) in the present research were assigned to play a violent videogame (Super Smash Brothers) with either a supportive or an ambivalent friend. Orthogonal to this manipulation, participants were assigned to play the game either competitively or cooperatively. Subsequent aggression toward their friend was assessed by measuring participants' competitive or cooperative behavior in a Prisoner's Dilemma game. Results revealed no differences in aggression as a function of friendship type or game strategy, although means were in predicted directions. The influence of context on exposure to violent media is discussed, as are issues of power and …
Factors Contributing To Premature Maternal Rejection And Its Effects On Offspring, Ashley Mariah Sproul Bassett
Factors Contributing To Premature Maternal Rejection And Its Effects On Offspring, Ashley Mariah Sproul Bassett
Theses and Dissertations
Typically, rhesus mothers begin rejecting their infants' attempts to nurse when the infants are approximately three months of age in order to begin the process of weaning. A small subgroup of mothers begin rejecting their infants earlier, at one or two months of age, typically before infants seek and maintain independence from their mother. The effects of this early maternal rejection on the development of infants and some potential factors that contribute to premature maternal rejection were explored in this study. Infants who were rejected early were hypothesized to subsequently spend less time in positive contact with their mother, have …
The Influence Of Parental Verbal Messages About Fighting And Nonviolent Responses On Adolescent Aggressive And Effective Nonviolent Behavior, Alison Kramer
Theses and Dissertations
Research suggests that adolescent health requires both reducing problem behavior and promoting the development of social competence. There is strong support for the influence of parenting practices on both aggressive and competent behavior. However, there has been little research to date focused on parental messages, or the verbal communication parents provide to their children, about aggressive and effective nonviolent responses to conflict. The present study used hierarchical regression to examine parental messages supporting fighting and parental messages supporting effective nonviolent responses to problem situations in relation to adolescent aggressive and effective nonviolent behavior. These relations were expected to be moderated …
Physiological Correlates Of Aggression In Adolescent Females, Ashley Dibble
Physiological Correlates Of Aggression In Adolescent Females, Ashley Dibble
Theses and Dissertations
Recently, with the development of new technology, researchers have focused on physiological predictors of aggressive behavior, specifically cortisol and alpha amylase. Gordis, Granger, Susman, and Trickett (2006) found the interaction between cortisol and alpha-amylase significantly predicted parent reports of aggression indicating that low levels of physiological reactivity was associated with higher levels of problem behavior. While this research has provided valuable information about aggressive behavior, a major limitation is the majority of research focuses on males, or has not examined gender differences explicitly. This study expanded on work by Gordis et al. (2006) and other researchers on the HPA axis …
Role Of Trauma In Social-Cognitive Adjustment Strategies And Moral Disengagement Among African-American Urban Youth, Kendell Lamonte Coker
Role Of Trauma In Social-Cognitive Adjustment Strategies And Moral Disengagement Among African-American Urban Youth, Kendell Lamonte Coker
Theses and Dissertations
The role of trauma has been implicated in the etiology of juvenile delinquency (Esbensen & Huizinga, 1991; Dulmus, 2003). This is especially pronounced among inner city minority youth. Traumatic experiences can hinder an adolescent's social-cognitive development, prevent the use of adequate coping mechanisms and cognitive processes, such as social problem solving, and lead youth to disengage their moral controls (Ng-Mak, Salzinger, Feldman, & Stueve, 2002). The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of trauma and adjustment strategies among African American urban youth and how moral disengagement can be averted via mediation by the use of social problem …