Clinical Psychology Commons^™

The Relationship Between Covid-19 Social Isolation, Social Anxiety, And Locus Of Control, Phoebe B. Everest

Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses

The current study examined the post-pandemic effects of social isolation following Covid-19. The researchers were interested in social anxiety disorder (SAD) levels among young women and predicted that the personality variable of locus of control (LOC) could influence SAD levels. Participants were recruited from the only all-female university in Canada, Brescia University College (N=64). The researchers correlated the variables of interest using the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-R), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), and Rotter’s internal-external control scale. The researchers hypothesized that there would be a negative correlation between pandemic social engagement and current levels of SAD. This hypothesis was …

Social Cognition Across Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review, Jina C. Kim

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Social cognition refers to the cognitive processes involved in social interactions. Deficits in social cognition may play a role in the onset and maintenance of eating disorders (ED). The goal of this review was to examine the current literature on social cognition across EDs, specifically, anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED).

The search revealed 79 studies which were organized according to six domains of social cognition: alexithymia, theory of mind, empathy, social processing, emotion recognition, and emotion processing. Most studies examined AN, finding evidence for deficits in some domains of social cognition. Literature on BN …

Types Of Social Relationships And Their Effects On Psychological Well-Being, Alana A. Graham

Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses

Research has already established the importance of social networks in developing and maintaining well-being. Furthermore, different types of social relationships have been found to influence individuals’ lives in unique ways. There is little understanding, however, of the manner in which relationship types compare in their effects on individuals’ psychological well-being. Using a correlational design, this study investigated the associations between relationship intimacy and psychological well-being. Relationship intimacy was measured for respondents’ parents, significant others, close friends, and pets. The surveys were distributed to 91 undergraduate students and combined the Miller Social Intimacy Scale (MSIS) and Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-being …

The Relationship Between Perfectionism And Procrastination: Examining Trait And Cognitive Conceptualizations, And The Mediating Roles Of Fear Of Failure And Overgeneralization Of Failure, Lital Yosopov

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The relationship between perfectionism and procrastination has been established in the literature; however, findings regarding the magnitude of this correlation are inconsistent. Some studies found small-to-medium effects between trait-perfectionism and trait-procrastination, while others found large effects between perfectionistic cognitions and procrastinatory cognitions, suggesting that the association may be stronger when assessed from a cognitive perspective. The present study addressed this inconsistency, by exploring this association using both trait and cognitive measures. There was a significant and positive correlation between perfectionism and procrastination, and the largest effect size was observed between perfectionism (trait and cognitive measures) and procrastinatory cognitions, suggesting that …

An Information—Motivation—Behavioural Skills Model Of Sexual Consent, Erin J. Shumlich

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation proposed an Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills (IMB) model of affirmative sexual consent, which is consent that is ongoing, continuous, and clearly communicated. The overall objectives of the current dissertation research were to: 1) elicit — from young, sexually active individuals — information, motivation, and behavioural skills factors that are related to affirmative sexual consent behaviours; 2) develop and empirically test an Information–Motivation–Behavioural Skills (IMB) model of sexual consent and use this to examine the hypothesized relationships of affirmative consent-related information, motivation, and behavioural skills with affirmative consent behaviours; and 3) evaluate the psychometric properties of an IMB scale measuring …

Exploring The Links Between Social Anxiety And Depression In The Maintenance Of Romantic Relationships, Christian M. Hahn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Social anxiety is characterized by fear and avoidance of social encounters and has recently been associated with a variety of difficulties in romantic relationships. Complicating further investigation of these associations is the high degree of comorbidity between social anxiety and depressive symptomatology, which share several similarities in expression despite disparate underlying causes. The present thesis examines the unique influences of social anxiety and depression on a number of central aspects of relationship functioning and provide the first longitudinal investigation of the impacts of actor and partner social anxiety and depression on relationship quality and functioning. In Study 1, three independent …

It's Not Me It's You: Examining The Link Between Partner-Schema Organization, Relationship Functioning, And Depressive Symptoms, Jesse Lee Wilde

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Depression is associated with a host of interpersonal difficulties, particularly within intimate relationships. While a significant body of literature has supported the presence of a highly consolidated negative self representation or “self-schema”, no studies have examined whether depression is also associated with a highly organized negative “partner-schema”, and whether this represents a risk factor for relationship distress. Given the high degree of similarity between cognitive representations of self and close others, it was predicted that depression would be associated with a partner-schema structure mirroring that of the self-schema: an organized cognitive structure characterized by tightly interconnected negative information, and loosely …

Social Relationships In Young Offenders: Relevance To Peers, Poverty, And Psychological Adjustment, Victoria Sabo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The increasing influence of peers in adolescence is related to a developing array of skills, aspirations, attitudes, and behaviours. The nature and magnitude of this influence and the potential association of certain youth with deviant peers is among the most prominent risk factors in predicting youth crime. This becomes of greater concern for economically disadvantaged youth, whose neighbourhoods harbour greater susceptibility to negative peer influence. With social affiliations at the forefront of youth development and criminality, research efforts need to further characterize the nature, constitution, and influence of peers on adolescent offending. Two hundred and eighty-one Canadian youth were sampled …

The Sixties Scoop Among Aboriginal Veterans: A Critical Narrative Study, Munira Abdulwasi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explored the experience of Aboriginal Veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop using critical narrative inquiry. The objectives were to: 1) understand the lived experience of Aboriginal veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop, 2) explore any health needs expressed by Aboriginal veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop, and 3) provide recommendations for the implementation of health services and programs to assist this group of Aboriginal veterans with their health needs. Eight individual interviews were conducted with participants in Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. All interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using …

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 …

Humour Styles And Negative Intimate Relationship Events, Chong Liang

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Research has shown that humour is associated with satisfaction and conflict management in dyadic relationships, such as friendships and romantic relationships. However, humour is not inherently positive or negative in itself. The function of humour depends on the style through which it is expressed. Adaptive uses of humour, especially affiliative humour, are positively correlated with relationship satisfaction and conflict management. Maladaptive uses of humour, particularly aggressive humour, have the opposite effect. The current study examined daily changes in humour use, relationship satisfaction, and conflict over a period of ten days in participants who were in a dating relationship. As hypothesized, …

A Behavioural Genetics Analysis Of Altruism And Its Relation To The Dark Triad, Maddy Mikulis

Undergraduate Honors Posters

The current study was the first to report a behavioural genetics analysis of altruism and its relationship with the dark triad traits of personality (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy). 228 adult twins completed questionnaires of the dark triad and altruism. A significant correlation between altruism and narcissism was revealed. Altruism was found to be influenced in part by genetic factors as well as non-shared environmental factors. Implications and limitations are discussed.

The Effectiveness Of Gain- Versus Loss-Framed Advertisements To Minimize Hazardous Drinking Among University Students: A Test Of Regulatory Fit, Barlas Gunay

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

University binge drinking is a concern. Traditionally, social norms marketing campaigns have been employed. Regulatory focus theory – based on the premise that behavior is driven either by the motivation to maximize gains (promotion) or to minimize losses (prevention) – offers an alternative approach to crafting persuasive appeals in this population. This study investigated the effectiveness of gain-framed versus loss-framed advertisements in lowering drinking intentions in a university sample. It further explored whether the effects were moderated by regulatory focus – primed and dispositional – and trait reactance. Online surveys were completed by 208 Introductory Psychology students (51.7% female, mean …

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 …

Exploring Parental Experiences And Decision-Making Processes Following A Fetal Anomaly Diagnosis, Ramona L. Fernandez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Often the first indication that something may be wrong in a seemingly normal pregnancy occurs during the first detailed ultrasound appointment between 16 and 20 weeks gestation. Even the most tentative suspicions of fetal anomalies is jarring. Parent’s default reality of a normal pregnancy and a ‘perfect child’ changes to one of risk factors and the possibility of an ‘unhealthy child’. This study begins with the realization of this first loss in a series of losses that follow for parents as they grapple with diagnostic information to be able to make informed medical decisions regarding their fetus and pregnancy. The …