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What Was He Thinking, Jack Frazer

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A law enforcement negotiator tries to make sense of the aftermath of a failed negotiation.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

3311 Elvis, Joe Maslanka

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

Marine trainees at Parris Island enjoy music from one of their own, as he tries to avoid further hazing.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

A Narrative Review Of Protective Factors That Predict Enculturation Processes For Latinx Individuals In The U.S., Jane Sun, Jennifer Rodriguez, Alanna Cason, Yessica Flores, Karl Villareal, Arlenis Santana, Chloe Walker

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A Narrative Review of Protective Factors that Predict Enculturation Processes for Latinx Individuals in the U.S.

Jane Sun, Dept. of Psychology, Jennifer Rodriguez, Alanna Cason, Yessica Flores, Karl Villareal, Arlenis Santana, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, & Chloe Walker, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. Chelsea D. Williams, Dept. of Psychology

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the rise of immigration led the Latinx community to experience the largest population growth amongst all ethnic-racial groups (Sanchez et al., 2012). Enculturation is the process of preserving heritage cultural values while enduring the influence of the current, surrounding culture (Schwartz et …

Psychometric Assessment Of The Spanish Score-15 For Families Of Individuals With Parkinson's Disease In Mexico, Jack Watson

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Psychometric Assessment of the Spanish SCORE-15 for Families of Individuals with Parkinson's Disease in Mexico

Jack Watson, Dept. of Psychology, Dr. Grace McKee, Mid-Atlantic MIRECC, Dr. Sarah Lageman, VCU School of Medicine and Dept. of Psychology, Dr. Teresita Villaseñor, University of Guadalajara, and Dr. Paul Perrin, Dept. of Psychology

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and can lead to a number of mental health problems for both patients and caregivers. Research has suggested that worse caregiver mental health predicts greater patient mortality for individuals with neurodegenerative diseases, and caregiver mental health is best when family …

Characterizing E-Cigarette Use Among Virginia Middle And High School Youth Using Confiscated Products, Sohee Ha, Cindy Miranda, Alisha Eversole

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Characterizing e-cigarette Use among Virginia Middle and High School Youth Using Confiscated Products

Sohee Ha, Dept. of Psychology, Cindy Miranda, Dept. of Psychology, & Alisha Eversole, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. Caroline O. Cobb, Dept. of Psychology

Introduction: There has been heightened research interest on JUUL use among youth, but less information is available on the use of other electronic cigarette (e-cig) brands, like NJOY or Smok. Other than self-report, methods such as collection of confiscated e-cigs may provide an unbiased estimate of youth e-cig use behavior. This study aims to characterize e-cig use using confiscated products among …

The Impact Of Acculturation On Help-Seeking And Mental Health Among Refugees In Minnesota, Analynne Escobar

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The Impact of Acculturation on Help-Seeking and Mental Health Among Refugees in Minnesota

Analynne Escobar, Depts. of Social Work and Psychology, with Dr. Hyojin Im, School of Social Work

This study looks at how acculturation affects mental health and help seeking attitudes among refugees in Minnesota. There is a need to address high levels of acculturative stress, mental health, and a lack of trust with human services for this population. Secondary data was utilized from the University of Minnesota Survey of Housing Questionnaire, with those identifying as Librarian, Oromo, Karen, Hmong, and Somali, for this study. A Pearson’s Correlation test …

Wham: Wellness, Happiness, And Mindfulness: A Pilot Class At Open High School For The Translational Application Of Well-Being Education, Emaan Dawood, Moorin Khan

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WHAM: Wellness, Happiness, and Mindfulness: A Pilot Class at Open High School for the Translational Application of Well-being Education

Emaan Dawood, Depts. of Biology, Chemistry, & Spanish, and Moorin Khan, with Dr. Christy Tyndall, VCU Honors College

The education of student well-being is desired as evidence-based positive psychology principles explain how humans can better succeed in life despite surmounting obstacles. Based on a VCU honors class titled “Flourishing,” which educates incoming freshmen about the science of health and wellness, a similar pilot class titled “WHAM: Wellness, Happiness, and Mindfulness,” implemented at Open High School, targets younger students. The goals for …

An Analysis Of The Uk And Us On The Perceived Adequacy Of Workplace Mental Health Programs, Julia Woods

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An Analysis of the UK and US on the Perceived Adequacy of Workplace Mental Health Programs

Julia Woods, Depts. of Business and Psychology, with Dr Deborah DiazGranados, VCU School of Medicine

Research examining employee provided health benefits typically concentrate on evaluating a program’s impact on organizational outcomes such as retention, absenteeism, presenteeism, and cost-effectiveness (Cuffel, Goldman, and Schlesinger, 1999; Munz & Kohler, 1997). The typical methods used for evaluation of these programs tend to be quantitative in nature, however, qualitative methods could help organizations better understand how its employees react to and view such programs. This paper explores employee’s perceptions …

Gabra2 And Alcohol Dependence In College-Aged Students, Abaiz Chaudhri

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GABRA2 and Alcohol Dependence in College-aged Students

Abaiz Chaudhri, Depts. of Biology and Chemistry, with Dr. Amy Adkins and Dr. Sally Kuo, Dept. of Psychology

Problematic alcohol use and associated consequences is a major problem in college-aged students. These outcomes, and alcohol dependence (uncontrolled alcohol consumption despite consequences), are complex and influenced by genetics and environmental factors, and the interplay between both. Variants in the gene GABRA2 have been shown to be associated with alcohol dependence in adolescents and older adults, yet the association is not studied nearly enough in the college-aged population, a high-risk period for the development of …

The Role Of Cultural Competency On Treatment Adherence And Health Literacy For Persons Of Color Living With Hiv/Aids, Rohan Arora

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The Role of Cultural Competency on Treatment Adherence and Health Literacy for Persons of Color Living with HIV/AIDS

Rohan Arora, Depts. of Psychology, Medical Humanities, & Chemistry, with Dr. Faye Pritchard, VCU Honors College

For decades, the American medical establishment has been a notable perpetrator in the mass marginalization of minority groups, leading to a variety of health disparities. Given that the existing healthcare institution is not culturally equipped to serve the evolving American demographic, experts have called for the greater usage of cultural competency in medicine; however, little research has been done to better understand how the degree of …

Examining The Relationship Between Ptsd Symptom Clusters And Drinking To Cope Motives On Drinking Outcomes, Fatima Tariq

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Examining the Relationship Between PTSD Symptom Clusters and Drinking to Cope Motives on Drinking Outcomes

Fatima Tariq, Dept. of Psychology, with Dr. Christina Sheerin, Dept. of Psychology and Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent among combat veterans, and its symptoms are categorized (in DSM-IV) in clusters of: reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Alcohol use disorder (AUD), often preceded by risky drinking behaviors such as binge drinking, and PTSD comorbidity is especially common in veteran populations. One theory underlying this comorbidity is that individuals use alcohol to self-medicatePTSD symptoms. Extant literature more often examines the …

Aesthetic Chills: An Autoethnographic Study, Jessica Turner

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Aesthetic Chills: An Autoethnographic Study

Jessica Turner, Dept. of Psychology, with Dr. Richard Bargdill, Dept. of Psychology

The purpose of this poster is to describe autoethnographic research that recorded experiences of aesthetic chills. Aesthetic chills are a psychophysiological response to stimuli that create pilo-erection and a “chill” effect on the body not related to temperature (i.e. goosebumps due to experiences of beauty). For the last two years, the researcher has made a written record of each instance of his experience of an aesthetic chill and the circumstances that triggered the chill. The data consists of brief descriptions of the triggering …

A Review And A Proposal For Reducing The Symptoms Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder In Adolescents By Combining Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training And Methylphenidate Medication As A Treatment, Kirti Sharma

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A Review and a Proposal for Reducing the Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adolescents by Combining Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training and Methylphenidate Medication as a Treatment

Kirti Sharma, Dept. of Biology, with Prof. Mary Boyes, VCU Honors College

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder among adolescents that may lead to impaired executive functioning and poor mental development. In 2018, the National Health Interview Survey reported that from 1997 to 2016, the prevalence of ADHD significantly increased from 6.1% to 10.2% in children and adolescents (age 4 to 17 years). Medication, such as methylphenidate, is considered as first-line therapy …

The Role Of Acting With Awareness On Sleep Quality And Difficulties With Emotion Regulation, Victoria Rabii, Alexandra Martelli

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The Role of Acting with Awareness on Sleep Quality and Difficulties with Emotion Regulation

Victoria Rabii, Depts. of Psychology and Biology, and Alexandra Martelli, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. David Chester, Dept. of Psychology

About 60% of college students experience difficulties with proper sleep quality. Poor sleep quality challenges one’s ability to effectively regulate emotions, especially in college-aged adults. Emotion regulation, defined as the strategies utilized to alter or manage the experience of intense emotions, is beneficial to our health and social relationships. Mindfulness, how we focus our attention on internal feelings and emotions in relation to external …

Trait Parochial Empathy Scale (Tpes), Lauren Mcleod, David Lansdell

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Trait Parochial Empathy Scale (TPES)

Lauren McLeod, Dept. of Psychology, and David Lansdell, with Dr. Jennifer Joy-Gaba, Dept. of Psychology

The goal of the research was to build and test a new scale regarding parochial empathy - a previously un-measured aspect of social interaction. Parochial empathy is the tendency to exhibit intergroup empathy bias (greater empathic concern for members of one's ingroup). Thus, the Parochial Empathy scale (TPES) measures how much an individual aids members of an outgroup compared to their willingness to aid their ingroup. Upon scale design, the TPES went through several validation measures. In the current study, …

The Benefits Of A Daily Personal Growth Practice, Carolyn Henao, Maria Ribera

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The Benefits of a Daily Personal Growth Practice

Carolyn Henao, Depts. of Psychology and Spanish, and Maria Ribera, with Dr. Richard Bargdill, Dept. of Psychology

The aim of this poster will be to describe autoethnographic research evaluating the benefits of a daily personal growth practice. For the past four years Dr. Richard Bargdill has taken a reading from one of the 81 chapters of the Tao de Ching as well as a reading from one of the 64 I-Ching excerpts daily. In addition, he writes his own commentary for each chapter of the Tao and a comparative American idiom for …

Hitting The Right Notes: The Nordoff-Robbins Model Of Musical Therapy As An Alternative Treatment For Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Compared To Methylphenidate, Ishika Singh

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Hitting the Right Notes: The Nordoff-Robbins Model of Musical Therapy as an Alternative Treatment for Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Compared to Methylphenidate

Ishika Singh, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, with Prof. Mary Boyes, VCU Honors College

Music encompasses every aspect in a person’s life, from listening to tonal changes in the voices of parents, to the sounds heard by nature and the manmade sounds in the music industry. With psychological and development disorders like ADHD, natural forms of healing would be the most effective in improving a person’s mental state without disrupting the development of the brain and body. …

Ethnic-Racial Identity And Social Outcomes In Childhood: A Research Review, Grace Bryan, Keyri Hernandez, Chloe Walker, Eryn Delaney

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Ethnic-Racial Identity and Social Outcomes in Childhood: A Research Review

Grace Bryan, Dept. of Sculpture, Keyri Hernandez, and Chloe Walker and Eryn DeLaney, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Students, with Dr. Chelsea Williams, Dept. of Psychology

Ethnic-racial Identity (ERI) is the labeling, identification, and processing regarding ethnicity-race that takes place during childhood (Umana-Taylor, 2014). Development of ERI begins as early as 4 years (Derlan et al., 2017), and may have implications for social outcomes, such as prosocial and externalizing behaviors. The aim of the current narrative review was to review research that has tested how ERI is associated with social outcomes, …

Victim Silencing, Sexual Violence Culture, Social Healing: Inherited Collective Trauma Of World War Ii South Korean Military "Comfort Women", Mijin Cho

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Victim Silencing, Sexual Violence Culture, Social Healing: Inherited Collective Trauma of World War II South Korean Military "Comfort Women"

MiJin Cho, Depts. of Psychology and English, with Prof. Mary Boyes, VCU Honors College

The unresolved reconciliation process for WWII South Korean military “comfort women” presents a case of nationally inherited collective trauma, in which South Koreans far removed in time and space from the historical tragedy feel its implications and obligations for reparations and social healing. In examining the South Korean comfort women redress movement and systemic concealment of WWII military sexual slavery, this study investigates a pattern of victim …

Conversations About Race And Perceptions Of Racial Discrimination Among Emerging Adults, Angel Whitfield, Alanna Cason, Maria Cisneros, Arlenis Santana, Eryn Delaney

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Conversations About Race and Perceptions of Racial Discrimination Among Emerging Adults

Alanna Cason, Depts. of Psychology and Criminal Justice, Angel Whitfield, Maria Cisneros, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, Arlenis Santana, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, & Eryn DeLaney, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. Chelsea D. Williams, Dr. Tricia Smith, Dr. Amy Adkins, and Dr. Danielle Dick

College students of color have positive race-related experiences (e.g.., positive conversations), as well as negative race-related experiences (e.g., racial discrimination and negative experiences about race; Spencer 2006). Limited work has focused on conversations students have about race, although the U.S. has become …

Role Of Self-Worth Contingencies On Sleep Quality Due To Discrimination And Depressive Symptoms, Victoria Cambar, Ruth Laryea, Bianca Owens, Chelsie Dunn

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Role of Self-Worth Contingencies on Sleep Quality Due to Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms

Victoria Cambar, Depts. of Psychology and Criminal Justice, Ruth Laryea, and Bianca Owens and Chelsie Dunn, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Students, with Dr. Kristina Hood, Dept. of Psychology

Scholars have well documented the association on discrimination experiences, negative implications for both physical and psychological symptoms (Gee et al., 2007; Williams et al., 2008). According to Stone and Carlisle (2018), the experience of racial discrimination at the workplace may increase the likelihood of negative emotions and sadness. In addition, the occurrence of perceived discrimination experienced by African American …

Differences In Mental Health And Ethnic-Racial Identity Between White Gender Variant Students And Gender Variant Students Of Color, Xuxa Sky Lark, Arlenis Santana, Chloe Walker

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Differences in Mental Health and Ethnic-Racial Identity between White Gender Variant Students and Gender Variant Students of Color

Xuxa Sky Lark, Depts. of International Social Justice and French, Arlenis Santana, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, & Chloe Walker, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. Diamond Y. Bravo, Dept. of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, and Dr. Chelsea Derlan Williams, Dr. Amy Adkins, and Dr. Danielle M. Dick, Dept. of Psychology

Gender variant college students (i.e., transgender, genderqueer, and questioning) experience increased risk for mental health disparities, discrimination, bullying, family disownment, homelessness, and hate crimes, to name a few (Eisenberg, …

Does Sexual Orientation Moderate Between Partner Substance Use And Alcohol Consumption?, Jasmine Jones

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Does Sexual Orientation Moderate between Partner Substance Use and Alcohol Consumption?

Jasmine Jones, Depts. of Psychology and African American Studies, with Dr. Jessica Salvatore, Dept. of Psychology

Being with an antisocial partner can be challenging in various ways. Prior research suggests that involvement with an antisocial partner is associated with higher levels of substance use (Fleming, White, and Catalano 2010). Having a minority sexual orientation can also influence one’s own substance use. Prior research shows that individuals who identify as a sexual minority report higher levels of substance use compared to those who identify as heterosexual (Hughes, Wilsnack, Kantor 2016). …

Advertising And Consumer Behaviors: Evaluating Microinfluencers On Social Media, Julianne Eubanks

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Advertising and Consumer Behaviors: Evaluating Microinfluencers on Social Media

Julianne Eubanks, Dept. of Psychology, with Dr. Jennifer Joy-Gaba, Dept. of Psychology

In advertising, social media networks such as Instagram have become opportunities for brands to advertise their products. Celebrities, with their millions of followers, often serve as brand ambassadors. As well, smaller accounts with more niche, engaged followings referred to in this study as “micro-influencers” also endorse products. The current study aims to determine if participants will (1) perceive micro-influencers as more trustworthy and authentic than name-brand celebrities and if participants will (2) be more likely to purchase a product …

Evidence-Based Programs & Measures Of Mental Health Literacy Among Adolescents: A Narrative Research Review, Roxana Naemi, Sabrina Hawa, Chloe Walker

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Evidence-Based Programs & Measures Of Mental Health Literacy among Adolescents: A Narrative Research Review

Roxana Naemi, Dept. of Psychology, Sabrina Hawa, & Chloe Walker, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. Chelsea D. Williams, Dept. of Psychology

This current narrative research review aims to provide a review of measures that assess the principles of mental health literacy among adolescents. Mental health literacy can be defined as the degree to which an individual processes and understands mental health information and is able to seek further treatment (Olsson & Kennedy, 2010) and varies based upon age (Farrera et al., 2008), sex differences …

Resilience In Relation To Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Coping Behaviors In Combat-Exposed Veterans, Abigale Dagher

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Resilience in Relation to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Coping Behaviors in Combat-exposed Veterans

Abigale Dagher, Dept. of Psychology, with Dr. Christina Sheerin, Dept. of Psychology and Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, and Dr. Ananda Amstadter, Dept. of Psychology and Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following a traumatic experience. Many veterans who are exposed to combat develop PTSD, yet many also show resilience following these stressors. Resilience can be defined as adaptive functioning in the face of stress or trauma. PTSD is often associated with less …

The Relationship Between Anxiety And Depressive Symptoms And Substance Misuse (In Terms Of Marijuana, Illicit Drugs, Tobacco, And Alcohol) In College Students, Devin Singh

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The Relationship between Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms and Substance Misuse (in Terms of Marijuana, Illicit Drugs, Tobacco, and Alcohol) in College Students

Devin Singh, Depts. of Psychology and Chemistry, with Dr. Sally Kuo and Dr. Amy Adkins, Dept. of Psychology

The prevalence of substance use (in terms of marijuana, illicit drugs, tobacco, and alcohol) in college students is of consistent concern as are rising rates of mental health concerns (i.e., anxiety and depression). College is a critical developmental period for establishing health in young adults. Previous studies have shown that students experienced anxiety and depressive symptoms when they used alcohol, …

Game-Theoretical Model Of Retroactive Hepatitis B Vaccination In China, Vooha Putalapattu

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Game-Theoretical Model of Retroactive Hepatitis B Vaccination in China

Vooha Putalapattu, Depts. of Psychology, Chemistry, & Biology, with Dr. Jan Rychtar, Dept. of Mathematics

Hepatitis B (HepB) is one of the most common infectious diseases affecting over two billion people worldwide. About one third of all HepB cases are in China. In recent years, China made significant efforts to implement a nationwide HepB vaccination program and reduced the number of unvaccinated infants from 30% to 10%. However, many individuals still remain unprotected, particularly those born before 2003. Consequently, a catch-up retroactive vaccination is an important and especially cost-effective way to …

Impulsivity In Sexual Trauma Survivors And Their Use Of Alcohol And Substances, Kayla Mclean

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Impulsivity in Sexual Trauma Survivors and their Use of Alcohol and Substances

Kayla McLean, Dept. of Psychology, with Dr. Jasmin Vassileva, Depts. of Psychology and Psychiatry

The current study investigates the associations of neurocognitive ‘choice’ impulsivity (delay discounting) and personality ‘trait’ impulsivity (UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale) with alcohol and substance use among female college students reporting history of sexual trauma. Participants included 2476 students enrolled in the Spit for Science study of college student mental health at VCU. Bivariate correlations were used to examine the associations between lifetime use of alcohol and different types of drugs with delay discounting and …

Academic Socialization And Its Effects On Academic Success, David Lim, Maria Cisneros-Elias

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Academic Socialization and Its Effects on Academic Success

David Lim, Dept. of Psychology and Maria J. Cisneros-Elias, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. Chelsea D. Williams, Dept. of Psychology

Academic socialization in education is how parents use their own educational beliefs and expectations to provide messages to their children to help navigate or influence their academic success and development (Hill & Tyson, 2009). There is currently very little research done on academic socialization, and recent studies have just started addressing the lack of research on this subject. This narrative review focuses on parental academic socialization, to understand the influence …