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Fat Talk Between Friends: Co-Rumination About Physical Appearance, Jonathan A. Rudiger

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the study of social and interpersonal factors that influence emotional adjustment and body image. Co-rumination is a new construct in the friendship literature which refers to discussing problems excessively and sharing negative feelings within the context of a close relationship. However, there is a lack of research with regard to the specific content of co-ruminative dialogues. In the body image literature, the term "fat talk" was coined to describe a negative, appearance focused dialogue that takes place in the context of female social circles. There have been no studies examining …

Experience And Regulation Of Positive Emotions As Predictors Of Anxiety And Depression In Adolescents And Children, Ann Schlegelmilch

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The high rate of comorbidity between anxiety and depression in children and adults raises questions concerning whether these disorders are two distinct disorders or a broad, but unitary construct. Clark and Watson's (1991) tripartite model purports that these disorders can be differentiated by two factors, positive affect (PA) and physiological hyperarousal (PH), in which low PA is unique to depression and PH is specific to anxiety. However, little is known about how specific positive emotions or their various facets may be related to depression and anxiety in children. Using 162 elementary and 148 middle school children (49% male, 66% Caucasian), …

Development And Validation Of A Measure: Preventive Coping With Work-Family Conflict, Meghan P. Jones

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Much research has focused on the concept of work-family conflict. Recent research has called for more studies concerning how individuals cope with work-family conflict (Eby, Casper, Lockwood, Bordeaux, & Brinley, 2005). This research aids in the measurement of coping with work-family conflict by creating a measure of preventive coping with work-family conflict. Items for the new measure are based on results from focus-groups with working adults. The study assessed the dimensionality and validity of the proposed scale. Results indicate that preventive coping with work-family conflict is comprised of five subscales: accumulating resources, strategic planning, cognitive structuring, withdrawal from work, and …

Student Perceptions Of Campus Safety Within The Virginia Community College System, Robert Chad Patton

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This research examined Virginia community college students' perceptions of campus safety. A survey of 11,161 students revealed the crimes students most feared being a victim of while on the community college campus and the areas in which they felt the most and least safe. The research also demonstrated the effect certain variables had on students' overall perception of campus safety. The variables studied included student demographics, the presence and type of security personnel, and the rurality of the campus setting. The campuses with the highest and lowest degrees of perceived safety were then further studied via case studies to gather …

Intergenerational Conflict Between Emerging Adults And Their Parents In Asian American Families, Kathy Nguyen

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Due to a paucity of research, little is understood about the experiences of Asian American emerging adults as they navigate their relationship with their parents. The purpose of the current study was to investigate intergenerational conflict in Asian American families, specifically when emerging adults are living at home with their parents. Acculturation gap, generational status, birth order, gender, and language proficiency were examined as predictors or mediators of conflict. Participants consisted of 350 Asian American emerging adults who were currently living with their parents, who lived with their parents during certain times of the year (e.g., vacations), or who had …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Safe Space Training On Professional School Counselors And School Counseling Trainees, Rebekah Byrd

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

While professional and social advocacy is an important component of school counselor training, there is little information about the awareness, skills, or knowledge needed to effectively meet the academic, career, and social needs of LGBTQ students (Smith & Chen-Hayes, 2004). The purpose of this study was to evaluate and examine the impact of Safe Space training on Professional School Counselors (PSCs) and School Counseling Trainees (SCTs). In this experimental design, a sample of 74 PSCs and SCTs from three universities and one school district participated in 1 of 7 Safe Space trainings. The Safe Space training, developed by The Gay, …

The Initial Development And Validation Of The Teen Screen For Dating Violence, Kelly M. Emelianchik-Key

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

This study was related to the initial development and validation of the instrument, the Teen Screen for Dating Violence (TSDV). The TSDV is an assessment tool that screens for adolescent dating violence perpetration and victimization. It examines perceptions, experiences, perpetration, and exposure to dating violence as well as available support systems for adolescents. Literature shows that dating violence among the adolescent population is on the rise and adolescent dating violence mimics many of the patterns of adult intimate partner violence. Children who grow up in homes with violence are more likely to continue the cycle of violence in their future …

The Relationship Among Counselor Demographic, Training, And Employment Variables And Self-Reported Multicultural And Gerontological Counseling Competence, Rebecca G. Mcbride

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

As the "Baby Boom" population ages, the geriatric population will grow to be the largest cohort in history. Elders are considered to be members of a diverse population and, therefore, topics related to older adulthood should be addressed within multicultural training. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship among counselor demographic variables, training variables, employment variables, attitudes toward the geriatric population, and self-reported multicultural counseling competence. Participants consisted of graduate students in both CACREP and non-CACREP accredited counseling programs, master's and doctoral level practitioners, and counselor educators. No statistically significant relationship was found between demographic, training, or …

Women's Compliance In Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment: The Role Of Children And Mental Health, Cathy Gertrude Cooke

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of children and mental illness in women's compliance in a treatment program for substance abuse. Information was retrieved from medical records of female clients ( N=221) who took part in a community-based day treatment program for substance abuse in a large city in southeastern Virginia during a 32-month period. It was anticipated that, as compared to women who resided with minor children, women who did not reside with minor children would have greater treatment success defined as: (1) more days in the treatment program; (2) higher percentage of negative …

The Influence Of Network Factors On Network Centric Operations, Mehmet Fidanci

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As Information Age changes the lifestyle of all humankinds, it also changes the way how to defense and secure the borders are secured and defended. The Information Age is about information superiority. It evolves the command and control concept, proactively, to optimize the size of the units and their connections within a combat force for effective mission accomplishment. The biggest issue is how big a unit will be and how they will arrange and connect it to the command and control structure in order for the unit to be effective on the battlefield. While some arrangements connect to each other …

Art Therapists’ Strategies For Improving Adolescent Self-Esteem: A Qualitative Study, Jennifer Lauren Barnette

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to interview art therapists who work with an adolescent population in a variety of settings, to acquire an in depth understanding of what various therapeutic approaches and art-making strategies they utilized to improve adolescents’ self-esteem. Six art therapists were interviewed. The interviews, which were transcribed, generated information about the art therapists’ theoretical orientation, how they addressed self-esteem with their clients, and what processes and materials they find to be most effective for improving such a goal. Themes were extracted from the interviews in order to acquire a further understanding of work with adolescents as …

A Proposal For An Art Therapy Intervention For The Reduction Of Dementia Caregiver Stress, Eileen Douglas

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to develop an art therapy intervention program to test the efficacy of art therapy in the mitigation of stress among informal caregivers who are caring for individuals suffering from dementia. The design of this program is a prospective, randomized, controlled study of informal caregivers. This program will run for a period of 2 months, with a 30 day follow-up session. The study is designed to recruit at least 20 participants. Participants will be randomized into two separate groups, an art therapy intervention group and a controlled art making group. The Zarit Burden Interview, Cohen …

A Proposed Bereavement Art Therapy Group For Children Who Experienced A Loss, Laurie Mcarthur

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Bereavement, grief, and loss have been topics of interest to many individuals (Bowlby, 1969; Freud, 1917; Kubler-Ross, 1969) over the years, whereas child bereavement has become a more recent topic of interest. Recently, however, researchers (Lowenstein, 2006; Rogers, 2007; Trozzi, 1999) have gained an awareness of the importance of child bereavement as it pertains to developmental level, support systems, and circumstances surrounding the loss. Typically, both non-clinical and clinical interventions are used as forms of treatment for children who are experiencing grief and loss. Art therapy provides individuals with the opportunity to express themselves through their artwork. Individuals suffering from …

The Effect Of Art Therapy On The Working Memory Of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Kelly N. Lee

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the effect of a short-term art therapy intervention on the working memory and behavior of male children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The methodology was quasi-experimental, involving a two-group controlled design with three objective pretest and posttest measures and one observer behavior report. Four subjects ages 7 to 9 were recruited for this study, and they were randomly divided between the experimental (i.e. art making) and control (i.e. board game play) conditions. Each subject participated in four individual sessions with the investigator, and completed two working memory measures at pretest and posttest administration. One parent for each child …

Art Therapy And Anorexia: A Heuristic Self-Study From Treatment To Career, Katie Kiskinis

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this self-study was to explore the personal experience had during treatment for anorexia nervosa that included an art therapy component and what impact this has had on subsequent recovery, current healthy functioning, and the career decision to become an art therapist.

The total duration of the study was 13 weeks. Thirty-minute reflection sessions supplemented with writing were scheduled for the first four days of the study, during which there was a submersion in artwork made during treatment (Treatment Artwork) for anorexia nervosa and any related memories. On the fourth day, eight themes were identified to be the …

A Study Of Artwork By Individuals With Eating Disorders, Michelle L. Mong

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study explored formal elements and content of 200 images created by eating disordered individuals to identify common themes or content. Images were found on 24 websites containing eating disordered artwork. Gathered artwork was viewed on a laptop and analyzed using methods of content analysis. After categories of formal elements and content were entered into a spreadsheet, percentages of categories and subcategories were calculated. The majority of images, 96.5%, were created with representational, rather than abstract, content. Other high percentages were in the subcategories of drawings (67.5%), vertical orientation (63%), color (61%), and partial figures (53%). Common themes noted in …

Proposal For An Art-Based Program Promoting Positive Identity Formation In Sexual Minority Youth, Anthony Philip Stroud

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

According to current scholarly research, there is a paucity of literature aimed at preventing negative identity formation for sexual minority adolescents. Unfortunately, most literature aims at the treatment of the consequences of negative minority identity formation. More important, strengthening positive minority identity formation, particularly in reference to sexual minority adolescents, needs to be a primary goal of current research. This paper provides an arts-based program plan for sexual minority adolescents grappling with identity formation. Moreover, this proposed program plan aims at utilizing art therapy and museum education to prevent negative identity formation amongst the participants.

Philosophical Concerns: Implications For Art Therapy, Anzhela Akbarova

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Throughout centuries, philosophers have asked and attempted to answer questions that address human concerns: identity establishment, search for purpose in life, fear of nonexistence, spirituality, and relationships with other people in the world. Some psychologists and arts therapists have also acknowledged the existence of these concerns. This thesis is a comparative analysis of philosophical literature and concludes that art therapists should acknowledge human concerns in their theory and practice.

An African-American Breast Cancer Survivor’S Journey With The Use Of Visual Journaling, Kristen Spellman

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study guided one female breast cancer survivor through a 6-week art therapy visual journaling experience. The art therapist taught the participant about the purpose of visual journaling and the potential benefits, as well as the basic methods used to journal. Qualitative data consisted of the visual journal entry (containing both images and writing) that she made in each session and entries made between sessions. Through content analysis, the following themes emerged from the data: breast cancer treatment, anger, family, body image, and depression. The sessions appeared to be beneficial to the participant, and she was enthusiastic and …

Virginia Junior Academy Of Science Awards

Virginia Journal of Science

List of award winning papers by section from the 69th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Junior Academy of Science, May 21, 2010 at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Section Abstracts: Statistics

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Statistics Section for the 88th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 20-21, 2010, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Section Abstracts: Natural History And Biodiversity

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Natural History and Biodiversity Section for the 88th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 20-21, 2010, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Table Of Contents

Virginia Journal of Science

Table of Contents for Virginia Journal of Science, Volume 61, Numbers 1 and 2, Spring/Summer 2010.

Section Abstracts: Psychology

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Psychology Section for the 88th Annual meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 20-21, 2010, James Madison University, Harrisonburg Virginia.

Contributors, Marc A. Ouellette

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Information about contributors to articles in volume 10, issue 2 of Reconstruction.

Understanding The Relationship Between Peer Mentoring And Undergraduate Capitalization, Jonathan M. Holland

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Research has demonstrated the importance of various forms of mentoring across multiple contexts. However, the topic of informal peer mentors has not been sufficiently explored. This study investigated the role of peer mentors in encouraging participation in voluntary development activities (i.e., capitalization). An online survey was completed by 288 undergraduate students. As hypothesized, mentoring was positively related to high levels of participation in capitalization activities and intentions to mentor in the future, and capitalization participation was positively related to higher levels of student satisfaction, continuance commitment, and career involvement. Contrary to expectations, capitalization participation was not significantly related to affective …

Doodle Culture: Meditations On The Great Idle Scrawl, David Prescott-Steed

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Conventional writing is accepted as being central to our communicative acts, to the expansion, dissemination, and documentation of ideas and meanings. Thus, by falling into the category of asemic, or non-semantic, mark making, the results of doodling are seen to effectively side step the conventions that are usually relied upon for the efficient conduct of ‘written’ communication. But this is not to leave them wanting in value. For while I agree that there is a time and a place for the kind of doodling that stands in contrast to productivity, to work—a time and a place to corrupt Parkinson’s Law …

A Conceptual Model Of Career Development To Enhance Academic Motivation, Nancy Creighton Collins

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop, refine, and validate a conceptual model of career development to enhance the academic motivation of community college students. To achieve this end, a straw model was built from the theoretical and empirical research literature. The model was then refined and validated through three rounds of a Delphi study. The Delphi study solicited the opinions of students who had successfully completed community college programs.

Three research goals guided this study: (1) identify the components of modern motivation theory that apply to the academic motivation of community college students, (2) identify key components of …

The Effectiveness Of Counselors As Care Managers In Improving Self-Management And Medical Outcomes In Persons With Poorly Controlled Diabetes, Ularisi Rebecca Green

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated whether providing counselors as care managers to individuals who were having difficulty managing their Type II diabetes improved their self-management, health, and functioning. Counselors used the Motivational Interviewing Model and met weekly over a six month period with patients who had Type II diabetes who had been identified as not functioning well in managing their disease. The success of the intervention was determined by a number of measures including physical symptoms of patients; patients' perceptions of the care they received; and patients' self-efficacy in managing their diabetes. The results of this study suggested that providing counselors as …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of School Counselors' Conceptualization And Implementation Of Multicultural Competence, Jasmine Knight

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

School counselors need multicultural competence to implement comprehensive school counseling programs that promote the academic achievement of all students. Prior research demonstrates that school counselors have reported high levels of multicultural competence. However, there is no evidence that this self-perceived competence translates into practice. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of how practicing professional school counselors conceptualize multicultural competence and how they implement it into their work. To explore this topic, 12 practicing school counselors from a southeastern, urban school district participated in individual interviews, focus groups, and documents reviews. A research team analyzed …