Psychology Commons^™

The Use Of Peer Mentoring To Decrease Stress In Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Elise G. Head

Doctoral Projects

Nurse anesthesia programs throughout the nation are extremely competitive with strict admissions criteria and demanding curriculum. Students enrolled in these programs, termed Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs), experience high average daily stress levels throughout their enrollment in a nurse anesthesia program (NAP). This quantitative study examined whether there is a decrease in SRNA average daily perceived stress when peer mentoring is employed. Inclusion criterion was all SRNAs enrolled in a single 3 year, post-baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) NAP at a comprehensive Carnegie research university with Southern Regional Education Board-Level 1 designation. Fifty-six SRNAs were surveyed using a modified …

Future Orientation As A Protective Factor For African American Adolescents Exposed To Community Violence, Suzanna So, Noni K. Gaylord-Harden, Dexter R. Voisin, Darrick Scott

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

For African American youth disproportionately exposed to community violence and the associated risk of externalizing behaviors, developmental assets that reduce the risk for externalizing behaviors and enhance adaptive coping should be explored. In a sample of 572 African American adolescents (M_age = 15.85; SD = 1.42), the current study explored whether future orientation or gender buffered the impact of community violence exposure on externalizing behaviors. The current study also examined the interaction between future orientation, gender, and violence-specific coping strategies to determine their association with externalizing behaviors. Future orientation moderated the relationship between violence exposure and delinquent, but …

Cross-Cultural Differences In Coping, Connectedness And Psychological Distress Among University Students, Tara S. Bales, Aileen M. Pidgeon, Barbara C.Y. Lo, Peta Stapleton, Heidi B. Magyar

Aileen M. Pidgeon

Globally the high prevalence of psychological distress among university students is concerning. Two factors associated with low psychological distress among university students are adaptive coping strategies and campus connectedness. The current study examines the cross-cultural differences among university students across three countries, Australia, United States of America and Hong Kong in the utilization of academic coping strategies, levels of campus connectedness and psychological distress. Cross-cultural differences were examined using the theory of cultural orientations; individualism and collectivism. Participants consisted of 217 university students. The results indicated no significant differences between the countries on individualism or collectivism or on the reported …

Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes And Their Caregivers: A Longitudinal Assessment Of Metabolic Control And Psychosocial Mediators, Sabrina Anne Karczewski

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the role of pediatric medical traumatic stress (PMTS) in response to a type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis for both parents and children and its influence on a child’s future metabolic control. PMTS is a term that represents a continuum of posttraumatic stress symptoms (i.e., intrusion, hyper-vigilance, and avoidance) that occur in response to a medical event that may or may not meet full clinical criteria for a Diagnostic Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnosis. This study examines a theoretical model (see Figure 1) and the interrelationships between a child and/or parent’s level of PMTS in response to …

Collectivistic Coping Strategies For Distress Among Polynesian Americans, G. E. Kawika Allen, Timothy B. Smith

Faculty Publications

Previous research has shown that psychological services designed to assist clients in coping with stressful or traumatic events are more effective when aligned with clients’ cultural values, practices, and worldviews. However, limited research is available regarding the preferred coping strategies of Polynesian Americans. In examining collectivistic coping styles and their association with previous distress among 94 Polynesian Americans, we found that participants were highly likely to use family support and religion/spirituality to buffer the initial and residual effects of impairment attributable to distressing events, and private emotional outlets, such as psychotherapy, very infrequently. The use of private emotional outlets was …

Dementia Caregiver Personality Traits And Coping Strategies: Association With Care Recipient Outcomes, Christine M. Snyder

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the potential impact of dementia caregivers’ personality traits and utilization of coping strategies on care recipients’ development of severe dementia, institutionalization, and mortality. Generally, the personality traits and coping strategies were not predictive of care recipient outcomes, especially related to the institutionalization of care recipients. However, increased caregiver use of Avoidance predicted time to care recipient development of severe dementia, while increased use of Counting Blessings reduced risk of mortality.

This research was conducted using extant data from a community-wide study examining factors that affect dementia progression. All data were collected by a research nurse and a …

Predicting Problematic Alcohol Use And Negative Alcohol-Related Psychosocial Consequences Of Use In A College-Aged Sample, Christa Murray

Honors College Theses

Drinking motivation (Cooper, 1994), coping strategies (Laurent, Catanzaro, & Callan, 1996), and negative alcohol-related consequences (Young, 2003) are theorized constructs that have been demonstrated to be related to problematic alcohol use. These three areas of research vary in findings, which makes clarification of these findings vital to the understanding of problematic alcohol use. The purpose of the present study is to determine to what extent motivation to drink and styles of coping predict problematic alcohol use, as well as to what extent problematic alcohol use predicts the different consequences of use. Participants consisted of 71 undergraduate students (54.2% female; Mage …

Temperament, Emotion Regulation, And Distress Tolerance As Related Correlates Of Psychological Symptoms, Catherine Pearte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have postulated that those with difficult temperament are at risk for difficulties with regulating emotions, are less tolerant of distressing stimuli, have characteristic difficulty coping with distress, and are (at some periods of development) more apt to experience clinically significant psychological symptoms. This study used exploratory factor analyses and structural equation modeling to compose and test a model that explained how emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and coping skills interact to explain how certain temperament features translate into psychological symptoms. Because those with difficult temperament were thought to be at a unique risk for psychological maladjustment, mean-based criterion were used …

Temperament And Child Maltreatment: A Closer Look At The Interactions Among Mother And Child Temperament, Stress And Coping, Emotional And Behavioral Regulation, And Child Maltreatment Potential, Amanda Lowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several theoretical risk models were proposed previously regarding the prediction of child maltreatment. Although child maltreatment was predicted individually in these models by such variables as parent temperament, emotional and behavioral regulation, stress, coping, and child temperament, these variables were not yet examined collectively. As such, a new transactional theory was proposed for the current study. As part of this study, a national community sample of 158 culturally diverse mothers of young children who were between the ages of 1½- to 5-years rated their own temperament, emotional and behavioral regulation abilities, parenting stress, daily hassles, and coping behaviors as well …

Psychological Help-Seeking Among Latin American Immigrants In Canada: Testing A Culturally-Expanded Model Of The Theory Of Reasoned Action Using Path Analysis, B.C.H Kuo, Alma Roldan-Bau, Robert Lowinger

Psychology Publications

The current study investigated the psychosocial and cultural predictors of psychological help-seeking based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA: Ajzen and Fishbein 1980) in a sample of 223 adult Latin American immigrants living in Canada. Using path analysis, the results provided empirical support for the TRA, as both help-seeking attitudes and subjective norms were found to influence participants’ help-seeking intentions. Moreover, the re-specified culturally-expanded model showed a good fit to the data and revealed the direct and indirect effects that bi-directional acculturation (Latino and Canadian Cultural orientations), familism, and collective coping had on help-seeking intentions. The results point to …

The Effects Of Acculturative Stress On Mental Health Outcomes Of African Immigrant And Refugee Youth: Coping As A Moderator, Emma-Lorraine Baaba Bart-Plange

Master's Theses

For immigrant and refugee adolescents, acculturative stress such as social and family conflict may be experienced as a result of the acculturation process (Berry, 2006; Mena, Padilla, & Maldonado, 1987). While research documents that these adolescents demonstrate patterns of associations between acculturative stress and internalizing symptoms, development of coping strategies may help youth to address adverse stressors (Oppedal, Roysamb, & Heyerdahl, 2005; Zimmer-Gembeck & Skinner, 2011). In addition to mainstream coping strategies, culturally-relevant coping strategies may be used by ethnic minorities, particularly those of African descent (Utsey, Brown, & Bolden, 2004). The purpose of the current study was to determine …

Moderating Effects Of Coping On Associations Between Stress Reactivity And Internalizing And Externalizing Problems, Amy Aliza Paysnick

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The present study was motivated by a need to employ multilevel studies to better understand why the experience of stressful life events is predictive of increased rates of psychopathology. Specifically, this study aimed to test the moderating role of coping on associations between stress reactivity (autonomic arousal) and broad-spectrum internalizing and externalizing problems in a normative sample. Participants were 140 adolescents and emerging adults (ages 14-30 years; 60% female) who completed questionnaires on coping, stressful life events, personality, and behavioral/emotional problems. Skin conductance and heart rate data were also measured while participants completed two laboratory stress tasks: a public speaking …

Measuring The Coping Efforts Of Grieving Undergraduate Students: Developing The Gcope Through A Mixed-Method Design, Benjamin Dyson Lord

Theses and Dissertations

The current study used a three-phase mixed-methods design to produce a new self-report measure of the strategies that college students use to cope with the death of a loved-one. College students are commonly bereaved and may be in the process of undergoing important developmental tasks related to emerging adulthood. However, the application of grief-specific stress-and-coping theories (i.e., the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement) to this population has been hampered by measurement issues.

The current study aimed to address the flaws asserted above through the use of a mixed-methods scale development design. To this end, the researcher made use …

Personality, Coping, And Burnout In Online Doctoral Psychology Students, Michelle Linn Grigsby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Completion times for doctoral psychology students are twice as long as those of other disciplines, and the attrition rate is over half of the matriculated students. Research indicates that (a) burnout plays an integral part in delayed completion and attrition for doctoral students and (b) personality and coping influence the development of burnout. In an effort to support prevention and intervention strategies, this study explored the gap in research regarding moderating effects of coping styles on the relationship between personality traits and burnout levels in online doctoral psychology students, as this population is growing at a significant rate and possesses …

Coping Responses To Positive Genetic Suceptibility Test Results For Alzheimer's Disease, Diana Elaine Neverson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Genetic susceptibility test results have been found to cause differences in coping behavior following testing for the APOE-ε4 gene, associated with Alzheimer's disease. Coping behaviors differ within the first 12 months of testing. Currently, no studies have been conducted beyond the first 12 months comparing positive (P) and negative (N) groups or how sex relates to coping behavior based on positive test results. Based on the theory of primary and secondary control, and theory of stress, appraisal, and coping this study compared differences in coping strategies based on genetic test results and between sexes with positive test results beyond the …

The Effects Of Stress And Burden On Caregivers Of Individuals With A Chronic Illness, Betty Wilborn-Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Informal caregivers have played a significant social and economic role in the care and treatment of individuals diagnosed with chronic illness. However, caregiving can have harmful effects on a caregiver's physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. Using caregiver stress theory as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this archival research was to determine the predictive relationship of stress in relation to caregiver quality of life for 309 selected cases. Correlational and hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The independent variables examined were environment and context, stressors related to …

Heterosexism, Mental Health, And Suicide: Investigating The Moderating Role Of Coping In Sexual Minority Men, Michael A. Trujillo

Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional study examined if heterosexist experiences (harassment/rejection, workplace/school discrimination, other) were associated with suicidality (suicidal ideation, suicide attempts) and symptoms of anxiety/depression, and if symptoms of anxiety/depression were associated with suicidality in a national sample of sexual minority men (SMM; N = 89). The study also examined if depression mediated the relationship between heterosexist events and suicidal ideation and whether active and disengaged coping styles moderated this relationship. All associations were significant and positive, with harassment/rejection and symptoms of depression generally independently associated with outcome variables. Symptoms of depression were a significant mediator of the harassment/rejection-suicidal ideation relationship; however, …

The Association Of Gender, Age, And Coping With Internalizing Symptoms In Youth With Sickle Cell Disease, Laura Reinman

Theses and Dissertations

Youth with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at an elevated risk for having internalizing symptoms. Prior studies have suggested unique age by gender patterns of internalizing symptoms may be present in this population, however this pattern has not been thoroughly examined and the mechanisms underlying this pattern are not known. We examined rates of depression and anxiety symptoms between males and females with SCD across childhood and into adolescence in a cross-sectional design. We also considered the potential role of coping styles and health related locus of control for SCD morbidity that could account for age or gender patterns for …