Social Psychology Commons^™

Do Professor Characteristics Influence College Students' Mental Health Disclosure?, Giselle Solorio, Kenneth Barideaux Jr.

University of South Carolina Upstate Student Research Journal

Previous studies have provided some evidence that college students may hesitate to disclose their mental health status because of social stigma; however, more research is needed to identify and understand the factors that influence students’ willingness to disclose. For example, it is unclear how professor characteristics impact the likelihood of disclosure. In the current study we examined whether the gender of the professor (male vs. female) and the professor’s teaching discipline (STEM vs. humanities) affected students' likelihood to disclose a mental health problem. Participants read a fictitious syllabus where the professor was either male or female and taught a chemistry …

A Longitudinal Examination Of Multiple Forms Of Stigma On Minority Stress, Belongingness, And Problematic Alcohol Use, Akanksha Das, Rose Marie Ward, Lauren Haus, Jackson Heitt, Jeffrey Hunger

Health Behavior Research

College students who experience stigma report problematic alcohol use. However, the stigma-health link focuses on one form of stigma, thereby excluding the intersectional oppression of experiencing multiple forms of stigma. The present work has two primary aims: 1) evaluating whether additive intersectional minority stress confers greater problematic alcohol use among multiply-stigmatized college students one year later, and 2) whether that link can be explained by 1) lower belongingness and 2) greater drinking to cope motives. Students (N=427) ranging in stigmatized identities (14.3% zero; 46.4% one; 29.5% two; 9.8% three or more), participated in an annual health survey at two subsequent …

Diversity Among University Students In The U.S.: An Analysis Of Student Ethnic Group Preferences And Its Impact On Campus Diversity Perceptions, Joseph Pang

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Diversity has become a focal point in conversations in higher education in the United States (Nunes, 2021). University systems have employed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives to recruit more diverse campus populations (e.g., University of California Board of Regents, 2007). However, this increased number of diverse students prompts the need to better define what diversity looks like on campus and factors that contribute to existing intergroup relations among Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Intergroup contact theory posits that prejudice can be reduced by having groups engage in contact under specific conditions. However, BIPOC have historically been segregated and forced …

Psychosocial Factors And E-Cigarette Use: An Application Of Problem Behavior Theory, Samantha A. Fitzer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has increased among the U.S. population in recent years with estimates showing that nearly 15% of American adults have tried an e-cigarette (Villarroel et al., 2020). Problem Behavior Theory (PBT) has successfully outlined a variety of factors that affect an individual’s engagement in an identified problem behavior. In an attempt to better understand e-cigarette use among an emerging adult population (i.e., college student population), the purpose of the current study was to explore how a large subset of PBT factors may differentiate between e-cigarette user categories (nonuser, non-daily user, daily user). A sample of 487 college …

Future Parents: Associations Between Social Media Use, Parenting Styles, And Parenthood Desires, Kennedy Evins

Honors Theses

Research suggests that college students without children have opinions about parenting styles and practices, which may influence future parenting intentions and behaviors. In addition, research indicates that media exposure affects fertility desires in women. The present study explored how pre-parent college students view parenthood by examining the impact of social media use on perceptions of parenting, parenthood intentions, and anticipated parenting styles. One hundred nineteen (N = 119) college students completed measures that assessed social media use, perceptions of parenting, parenthood intentions, and anticipated parenting styles. Demographic variables such as parental status, race, age, and gender were also collected. …

The Relationship Between Social Media Use And Depression And Anxiety Symptoms During Covid-19, Tene'sha L. Crews, Christina Sheerin

Undergraduate Research Posters

The rise of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global surge in exposure to disaster and crisis-related media. Increases in poor mental health outcomes such as anxiety and depression, are associated with increased exposure to such media content (Abbas et al., 2021; Riehm et al., 2020; Zhao & Zhou, 2020). In recent years, social media has become one of the most widely used sources for news; approximately 48% of adult Americans receive their news from social media (Pew Research Center, 2021). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in social media use due to social distancing and …

Lolita In The Contemporary American Classroom: Pedagogical And Learning Approaches, Jasmine Revels

Master’s Theses and Projects

The purpose of this study is to discover effective collegiate-level teaching and learning strategies for Vladimir Nabokov’s 1958 novel Lolita in the midst of the current American political and social climate. Some of the factors of the current political and social climate in the United States thought to have an effect on the teaching of Lolita, and were thus considered for further inquiry, were cancel culture, the Me Too Movement, and trigger warnings. Primary research was collected from college students and English college professors. To obtain this research and the opinions of respondents regarding this topic, a combination of both …

Bystander Intervention Among College Student Drinking Gamers : Sexual Assault Attitudes, Self-Efficacy, And Intent To Intervene, Rena L. Pazienza

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Heavy and problematic drinking and sexual assault warrant significant concern on U.S.college campuses. Emerging evidence suggests that the risk for sexual victimization is amplified in the context of high-risk drinking behavior—and despite recent attention to sexual assault (e.g., MeToo Movement), rates of perpetration remain largely unchanged. In applying the bystander intervention framework, our understanding of the relation between key factors that may facilitate or prevent behavioral action, or when and how these factors are most salient, is limited. The present study examined whether bystander attitudes and bystander self-efficacy predict bystander intent to intervene while accounting for prior intervention training exposure …

Racial Socialization In Non-Hispanic White American Families: An Exploration Of The Role Of Parental Racial-Ethnic Socialization, Julia C. Rodil

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Racial-ethnic socialization is a largely unstudied topic for White Americans. Most of the research on racial-ethnic socialization (RES) focuses on minority populations, but more literature is starting to focus on RES in White individuals. However, the mechanisms by which RES messages are transmitted are understudied. This study examined how prior parental RES strategies (i.e., egalitarianism, history of other groups, group differences, preparation for bias, general discrimination, and discrimination against other groups) impacted White college students’ own attitudes towards ethnic-racial minorities (i.e., racist, colorblind, and multicultural) and how these attitudes influenced inclusive (and non-inclusive) behavior, psychosocial costs of racism (White empathic …

The Mediating Effects Of Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy On The Associations Between Alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategies And Alcohol Use Outcomes, Kray Scully

Dissertations

Alcohol use continues to pose a serious public health problem at universities across the U.S., largely due to the extent of consumption and frequency of negative consequences experienced among college students. Alcohol protective behavioral strategies (PBS-A) are an empirically supported repertoire of safe drinking behaviors college students can use to monitor and control their alcohol consumption as well as limit harm while drinking. However, there remains a need to better understand how cognitive mechanisms, such as drinking refusal self-efficacy (DRSE), help explain college student safe alcohol use behaviors to enhance evidenced-based intervention and prevention efforts. Recently, studies that examined the …

Parental Nurturance In Childhood And Adolescence Correlated To Anxiety In College Students, Julianne R. Urban

Senior Honors Theses

Parental nurturance is important for individuals in childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. In general, high levels of parental nurturance helps individuals to be well-adjusted. However, anxiety disorders are prevalent among emerging adults, so the present study investigated a potential correlation between parental nurturance and college student anxiety. Participants consisted of undergraduate students who were at least 18 years old and enrolled in at least one psychology course. They were asked to complete the Parental Nurturance Scale and Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between the two variables. Specifically, increases in parental nurturance were …

An Investigation Of “Actual” Versus “Perceived” Substance Use Among College Students, Jordan Ragland

Senior Theses and Projects

Alcohol and illicit substance use is recognized as a widespread public health concern across college campuses in the United States (Shepard Meteyer, Bruzios, Pol, & Charpentier 2017). Perceived norms are among the strongest predictors of college student alcohol use and related problems (Ecker, Cohen, & Buckner 2017). Prior research has shown that normative perceptions relate to one’s own drinking behavior (Lewis, Litt, Blayney, Lostutter, Granato, Kilmer, & Lee 2011). This data has shown that college students typically overestimate the amount other students or peers drink. Based on previous literature this can be applied to drug, marijuana, and nicotine use. The …

An Exploration Of Factors Influencing First-Generation College Students' Ability To Graduate College: A Delphi Study, Ashley C. Gray Benson

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation serves as a counter-narrative to the standard deficiency model in published research that characterizes most first-generation college students as feeble and unequipped when it comes to thriving in, persisting in, and graduating from college. This is one of the few studies that examines the success of first-generation college students from the students’ perspective. First-generation college students who graduated from college participated in a Delphi study that addressed this question: What factors influence first-generation college students' ability to graduate college? Three rounds of data collection resulted in ten themes, roughly in order of importance based on feedback from study …

College Students' Social Media Uses And Affective Correlates, Jennifer L. Lippold

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Given the high prevalence of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety among college students, research on social media use, a salient feature of the modern college experience, is increasingly warranted. While research documents a link between negative psychological symptomology and social media use, few studies have examined what specific patterns of use may be more or less harmful than others. Therefore, the present study investigated whether specific types of social media use (socially oriented uses, information seeking uses, and entertainment uses) are more or less strongly associated with affective variables (depression, anxiety, positive affect, and negative affect). Utilizing …

Dog Days Of Final Exams: Using Canine-Assisted Therapy To Reduce Stress And Improve Mood Among Community College Students, Stephanie Quintana, Michelle Borckardt, Tanvi Aditya

Quest

Psi Beta Research Project

Research in progress for Psi Beta Mentored Research Group

Faculty Mentors: Jennifer L. O’Loughlin-Brooks and Joshua Arduengo

The following paper represents research conducted by members of the Collin College chapter of Psi Beta National Honor Society. Psi Beta is the national psychology honor society for two-year colleges whose mission is “promotion and recognition of excellence in scholarship, leadership, research, and community service.” Psi Beta advisors at Collin College teach the methodological essentials of behavioral science to interested Psi Beta members and then mentor them through a multiple-step research process. Specifically, students either work independently or in …

An Examination Of The Relationships Between Message Framing, Regulatory Focus, And Psychological Reactance On Risky Health Decision-Making Among College Students, Mallory B. Garza

Doctoral Dissertations

Excessive alcohol use and risky sexual behaviors are common health-related concerns among college campuses throughout the United States. Previous efforts to thwart such risky health behaviors have resulted in limited success. Therefore, it is crucial that researchers learn how to effectively communicate with college students in ways that increase healthy behaviors and decrease unhealthy behaviors among this particular population. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of message framing, regulatory focus, and psychological reactance on motivating college students to take a more proactive approach in regard to their health and wellbeing. Data from this study were …

Masculine Norms, Psychological Symptom Severity, And Intentions To Seek Formal Help In Male College Students, Zahra S. Shine

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Research has consistently found men to be less likely than women to seek help for mental health symptoms. Additionally, greater symptom severity is related to higher levels of help seeking, although this relationship is less clear among men. Greater conformity to masculine norms may help to explain the relationship between symptom severity and help seeking among men. The present study aimed to further research on men’s help-seeking by examining whether conformity to masculine norms would moderate the relationship between symptom severity and help-seeking intentions in male college students (N = 89). A multiple regression analysis was conducted with all …

Multivariate Relationships Of Binge Watching-Drinking-Eating With Depression, Anxiety, And Stress In College Students, Katina Letrice Clarke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Binge eating and drinking have been studied with respect to stress, anxiety, and depression, but little is known about the emerging phenomenon of binge watching television programming. Guided by escape theory and the uses and gratification theory, this cross-sectional, correlational study addressed multivariate relations of binge drinking, binge eating, and binge watching with depression, anxiety, and stress among 102 college students ages 18 to 24. Multivariate canonical correlation results revealed that participants with low anxiety scores tended to have low scores on binge eating and drinking but high scores on binge watching. Participants with low stress scores and high anxiety …

Interactions In Social Settings: The Relationship Between Alcohol And Sexual Assault Among College Students, Heather Lepper

MSU Graduate Theses

Research has linked alcohol to violence and sexual assault, especially within the college student population. Most of this research focuses on the effects of alcohol on victims or perpetrators of sexual assault and not on bystanders of such situations. This study examines how self-reported drinking behavior affects students' ability to recognize risk of sexual assault in written scenarios and the various barriers that would inhibit their willingness to intervene. A sample of 275 students (183 female, 92 male) were asked to read one of three scenarios and respond to a brief questionnaire adapted from Burn's (2009) Barriers to Bystander Intervention …

Understanding Self-Reported Sexual Violence Perpetration: Correlates And Prevention Participation, Jacqueline F. Klatt

Honors Theses and Capstones

Bystander prevention programs seek to educate individuals on the nature of sexual violence and increase bystander efficacy. This study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the Bringing in the Bystander (BITB) prevention program through self-reports of perpetration behaviors as well as risk factors associated with perpetration. The bystander prevention program was implemented on a rural mid-sized public university and first-year students were surveyed three times at separate time points (2 weeks, 5 months, and 12 months) after the program conclusion. Results from a correlational and logistic regression analysis show that endorsement of violent peer norms, rape myth acceptance, and rape …

Testing The Effectiveness Of A Sct-Based Peer Wellness Coaching Training Program In Enhancing Health Self-Efficacy And Outcome Expectations Among Undergraduate Peer Educators, Abigail Dubovi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Peer health education (PHE) is a widely implemented approach to health promotion on college campuses. Based on its emphasis on vicarious learning and social persuasion, social cognitive theory (SCT; Bandura, 2000) is frequently cited to account for the proposed mechanisms of PHE. However, to date, no prior studies have developed and tested the utility of a SCT-based PHE training program in improving theoretically consistent outcomes among peer educators. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and test the effectiveness of a 15-week, SCT-based peer wellness coaching (PWCTP) training program in enhancing health self-efficacy (HSE) and outcome expectations …

Undergraduate Financial Stress, Financial Self-Efficacy, And Major Choice: A Multi-Institutional Study, Kevin Fosnacht, Shannon M. Calderone

Journal of Financial Therapy

Over time, undergraduates students been increasingly forced to assume a greater portion of college costs. For most students, this means borrowing larger sums and cutting back on expenses to fulfill their college dreams, which often leads to financial stress. Using financial self-efficacy theory, we sought to better understand how a lack of financial confidence and a diminished sense of financial well-being may serve to undermine students’ intended short and long-term goals. To this end, we examined the predictors of financial stress based upon a multi-institutional sample of senior undergraduates and focus on the role of the earnings potential of different …

Predictors Of Academic Achievement Of Non-Traditional College Students: Opportunities To Catch-Up And Succeed, Angela Bardwell-Owens

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Non-traditional students make up approximately 20% of the undergraduate student population nationwide and are one of few segments of the student population that are not provided with targeted programs and services. To help this cohort achieve their goals whilst universities can increase their retention rates, this research begins a review of the non-traditional student literature to gain an understanding of what this population faces as far as barriers to their education. The literature also provides recommendations and further information in retention efforts to support the student during their academic years. Next, an analysis of non-traditional student support services at 4-year …

Positive Psychology Coursework And Subjective Wellbeing, Heather E. Walker

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Positive Psychology aims to shift the conversation of mental health from solely repairing mental dysfunction to focusing on individuals’ positive qualities or strengths (Seligman, 2000). This study aims at exploring connections between a Positive Psychology college level coursework and students’ self-reported wellbeing using an electronically administered survey containing multiple scales used to measure various aspects of wellbeing. Scales used were The Ryff Scale of Psychological Wellbeing, The Purpose in Life Test (PIL), the Alienation Scale, and questions related to the course content itself. Students who have higher wellbeing tend to have increased life benefits such as health, life-satisfaction, and flourishing …

An Examination Of The Most Recent Episode Of Molly Use Among College Students, Amy L. Stamates, Ashley N. Linden-Carmichael, Brynn E. Sheehan, Perter D. Preonas, Cathy Lau-Barraco

Psychology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE--The current study examined event-level characteristics (e.g., contextual factors, risk behaviors) during the most recent episode of Molly use among a sample of college students who reported previously using Molly.

PARTICIPANTS--Participants (N = 151; 66.7% female) were drinkers aged 18 to 25. Data were collected from October to November 2014, February to April 2015, and September to November 2015.

METHOD--Participants completed measures regarding typical Molly use and items related to context and behaviors during their most recent episode of Molly use.

RESULTS--Findings revealed that our sample most commonly reported using Molly earlier in the evening while hanging out with friends …

Money And Emerging Adults: A Glimpse Into The Lives Of College Couples’ Financial Management Practices, Jennifer K. Rea, Virginia S. Zuiker, Tai J. Mendenhall

Journal of Financial Therapy

Being in a romantic relationship is a transition that many college students enter while earning a college degree. Twenty-four students between the ages of 19 to 29 years old who self-identified as being in a committed relationship participated in this study. They completed an online survey that included both quantitative and qualitative (open-ended) questions pertaining to money management practices. Key findings suggest that participants believe in communicating about their individual and combined finances so as to prevent or solve financial challenges. They also discussed the importance of having similar perspectives about financial values within their relationship. Financial therapists, counselors, and …

Using Self-Determination Theory To Improve College Access Among Minority Student Populations, Tyler Smith

SPACE: Student Perspectives About Civic Engagement

College aspirations among high school students have increased substantially in recent years, but minority students are only making up a small portion of the total college population. Resulting from the disparities seen in enrollment among the minority populations, many college preparation programs have developed. These programs seek to motivate students to attend college through increasing competence, by developing feelings of community among other methods. Self-determination theory states that to inhibit motivation, three psychological needs are to be met: competence, connectedness and autonomy (Ryan & Deci, 2000a). Based upon this theory, it was believed that its application would increase the effectiveness …

The Nerve: Associations Between Perceived Parenting Style And Coping With Stress, Lauren Mcgrew

Undergraduate Theses

Throughout a lifetime, women are twice as likely as men to develop an anxiety disorder. Several factors – biological, psychological, and social/environmental – are involved in the mechanisms of anxiety. The present study was designed with particular interest in the association between parents’ parenting styles and daughter anxiety, specifically paternal influences in correlation with how daughters cope with stress. Previous studies suggest that anxious tendencies in parents can be transferred to their children (Ballash, Leyfer, Buckley, & Woodruff-Borden, 2006). Studies have also identified three main parenting styles – authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive – which may also play a role in …

Substance Use Among College Students: Correlations With Intent To Graduate, Academic Integration, And Social Integration, Cecilia M. Clowdus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Substance use is one of the greatest concerns for adolescents and emerging adults. The consequences of prolonged substance use can lead to physical, psychological, and financial consequences for those suffering from use as well as their loved ones. One consequence that has not been researched thoroughly is the association between substance use and the decision to leave higher education, which is a decision that could have lasting effects on former students’ ability to obtain satisfactory employment in the future. This research looks at substance use and variables that are associated with the decision to leave college, which are derived from …

Caffeinated And Non-Caffeinated Alcohol Use And Indirect Aggression: The Impact Of Self-Regulation, Brynn E. Sheehan, Ashley N. Linden-Carmichael, Cathy Lau-Barraco

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research shows that heavier alcohol use is associated with physical aggression. Scant research has examined the way in which alcohol relates to other forms of aggression, such as indirect aggression (e.g., malicious humor, social exclusion). Given the possible negative consequences of indirect aggression and the limited evidence suggesting alcohol use can elicit indirectly aggressive responses, research is needed to further investigate the association between drinking behavior and indirect aggression. Additionally, specific alcoholic beverages, such as caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CABs; e.g., Red Bull and vodka), may potentiate aggression above the influence of typical use, and thus warrant examination with regard to …