Digital Commons Network^™

Impasse In Marriage And Family Therapy, Valentina V. Popkova-Massé

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this exploratory study was to learn about practicing Marriage and Family Therapists' experiences with therapeutic impasse. The study had several objectives: investigate the incidence of impasse; look into therapists ' experiences with impasse, their attitudes toward it, and their views on its etiology; and explore clinicians' strategies for impasse resolution.

One hundred and six clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) responded to a self-designed questionnaire. The majority of the respondents (83%) reported being stuck in therapy for a few minutes and 35% reported being stuck for three or more sessions during …

Marital Happiness: Undergraduate University Students Assess Their Parents' Marriage Regarding Communication, Power, Education, And Religiosity, Margaret F. Oak

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to investigate undergraduate university students' appraisals of their parents' marital happiness, and how those views affect respondents' current attitudes toward marriage. The sample included 1,437 undergraduate students between the years 1970 and 1999. The dependent variable was perceived marital happiness in the family of origin. The independent variables were perceived communication quality, perceived level of egalitarianism, level of education, and perceived religious activity of the respondents' parents as reported by the respondents. Respondents' desire to have a communication situation in their own marriage similar to that of the parents' marriage, and desire to have a power …

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Adolescent Deviant Behavior, Jennifer R. Lance

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis summarizes a study conducted to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence and adolescent deviancy. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the relation between 1) overall emotional intelligence plus its subscales and overall normative deviant behavior, and 2) emotional intelligence subscales and subscales of a deviancy measure. Tapia's Emotional Intelligence Inventory (EII) and Vazsonyi's Normative Deviancy Scale (NDS) were used to measure the two variables of this study. Subjects included 152 high school students, aged 14-18, from a small city in Northern Utah. One hundred seventeen students came from a local high school comprising grades 10-12 …

Effectiveness Of Utah Level Six Treatment Programs For Juvenile Males Who Offend Sexually: The Client Perspective, Darren B. Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined treatment effectiveness from the perspective of former clients of Utah level six treatment programs for juvenile males who offend sexually. Employing an anonymous, self-reported instrument, this study identified a high level of sexual recidivism (44%). In obtaining client perceptions of treatment effectiveness, this study also differentiated between the various components of level six treatment. Individual therapy was rated highest by the clients in helping them in their subsequent efforts not to recidivate. Drug and alcohol treatment received the lowest overall score, while remaining very important in the eyes of a few subjects. This suggests that clients benefit …

The Effects Of Alternative-Site Blood Glucose Monitoring On Testing Frequency, Pain Rating, And Glycosylated Hemoglobin, Nancy Bennion

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A crossover design study was conducted to determine if reducing pain, by using alternative sites off the finger tip, would increase testing frequency and improve clinical outcome as measured by glycosylated hemoglobin. Subjects with type 1 and type 2 diabetes tested with the FreeStyle alternative-site meter (group 1) or tested with their original meter (group 2). After 3 months the subjects used the alternate meter. Testing frequency and blood glucose concentrations were recorded for the month before the study began and monthly thereafter. Glycosylated hemoglobin was tested initially, at the crossover point, and at study conclusion. Insulin users increased testing …

Premarital Education: Participation, Attitudes, And Relation To Marital Adjustment In A Sample From Northern Utah, Bryan D. Ramboz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes, participation in, and potential effectiveness of premarital education as a vehicle to promote more satisfying marriages. A retrospective survey instrument, including existing measures of religious values, willingness to invest in marriage, and marital satisfaction, was used to gather data to answer research questions related to couples' participation in, and attitudes about premarital education, and their influence on marital adjustment and satisfaction. Information about the amount of Time spent in premarital education, breadth of Topics covered, Training of the provider, and whether or not Testing was performed also was gathered and …

Foraging Behavior And Habitat Use Patterns Of Brown Bears (Ursus Arctos) In Relation To Human Activity And Salmon Abundance On A Coastal Alaskan Salmon Stream, Anthony P. Crupi Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the past decade, demand for recreation has increased as part of Alaska's doubling growth in tourism. Along the Chilkoot River, near Haines, fishing and bear viewing have become increasingly popular. I investigated the ecological and behavioral interactions there between brown bears, salmon, and humans between 2000 and 2002. My objectives were to: (1) determine if specific human activities differentially influenced bear activity and foraging behavior, (2) identify temporal and spatial habitat use patterns, (3) evaluate brown bear response to natural and human disturbances and quantify related flight distances, (4) investigate changes in bear foraging behaviors in response to prey …

Factors That Influence The College Attendance Decisions Of Appalachian Students, Erica Chenoweth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The current study sought to examine the factors that influence the decisions of Appalachian high school students regarding college attendance. Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory of human development (1986) as a theoretical basis, direct and indirect influences of environmental factors upon the academic aspirations of Appalachian youth were examined using survey methodology. Results indicated that predictors of college attendance for Appalachian students are not significantly different from those of students elsewhere. Variables reflective of individual academic preparation were most salient in predicting college aspirations for both males and females. Other important predictors included parent education, parent occupation, and socioeconomic status. …

The Effects Of A School-Wide Peer-Administered Praise Intervention On Student Problem Behavior, Meredith L. Brent

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study evaluated the effects of a peer-administered positive behavioral support intervention on a school-wide problem behavior. Utilizing the differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviors method (DRl), peer monitors praised incidences of walking in order to decrease incidences of running in the hallway. A multiple baseline design across two hallway settings was used to evaluate the effect of peer monitors administering verbal praise and praise notes to students who demonstrated the desired behavior, walking. A lottery drawing in which recipients of praise notes received small prizes was conducted at the end of each week during the treatment phase. Results indicated that …

Sampling Considerations In Human Immunodeficiency Virus And Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Needs Assessments, Ryan K. Loo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reduces the number of healthy immune cells in the human body. When the immune cells drop below a certain level, the person is diagnosed as having acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which increases the likelihood of opportunistic infections. As a result, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH/A) have an elevated need for medical and support services. HIV/AIDS needs assessments identify unmet needs, and the results are used in the allocation of resources. Failure to accurately identify needs due to nonrepresentative samples may result in PLWH/A failing to receive needed services. Random sampling is rarely used, but convenience …

Outcomes And Presurgical Correlates Of Lumbar Interbody Cage Fusion, Rick Lacaille

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rates of lumbar fusion surgery have been increasing with an estimated 192,000 procedures performed annually. However, satisfactory outcomes of lumbar fusion vary considerably and often emphasize technical success, such as arthrodesis, rather than Ill functional and quality of life outcomes. Interbody cage fusion was recently developed and touted as a superior alternative to existing lumbar fusion procedures. There is, however, a paucity of research to support these claims, particularly with regards to functional and quality of life outcomes. Moreover, predictive correlates of outcomes for interbody cage fusion have not been given adequate attention in the literature. The aims of this …

The Effects Of Self-Monitoring Checklists And Performance Feedback On Study Skills Of College Students With Disabilities, Sherrie Mecham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study utilized a multiple baseline design across two study skills to examine the impact of a self-monitoring checklist and performance feedback on the implementation of study skills for seven college students with disabilities. The accuracy with which students performed study skills was calculated as a percentage based on the number of correct study skill steps completed during a college course divided by the total number of treatment steps. The results show that three of the seven students markedly increased the accurate use of the notetaking and study guide skills immediately when provided with a self-monitoring checklist and performance feedback, …

Community Factors That Correlate With Middle-Adolescent Antisocial Behavior, Olga Kamenchuk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many adolescents nowadays display antisocial behavior. A large number of theories explaining origin of antisocial behavior have been developed in the last several centuries. The current study utilizes the "ecological" theoretical framework that allows the researcher to consider multiple ecological systems in which individuals operate and to focus on the community factors influencing antisocial behavior.

The researcher used part of the Prevention Needs Assessment survey to identify which community risk and protective factors correlate with middle-adolescent antisocial behavior. Analysis included intercluster, cluster-item correlations, and partial correlations. Results indicated correlations between antisocial behavior and a number of community risk factors, and …

Differential Diagnosis Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Depression: Potential Bias And Misdiagnosis, Hollie K. Berglof

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated whether psychologists are attempting to distinguish between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression in youth. Findings indicate that, overall, clinicians are conducting comprehensive evaluations and considering ADHD and depression as likely diagnoses. Clinicians were more likely to use self-report depression measures if the client was female or adolescent than if the child was male or school age; however, they were equally likely to incorporate ADHD-related measures with males and females, and 8 year olds and 15 year olds. Clinicians were more likely to consider adolescents than school-age children and females than males to have a mood …

On-Campus And Off-Campus Students' Ratings Of Instruction And Courses, Noriko Saeki

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The associations of student ratings of instruction and courses (SRIC) with noninstructional variables (e.g., class size, expected grade) were examined in three instructional delivery groups--on-campus, off-campus face-to-face, and distance education courses. Factor analysis of SRIC from a 20-item form yielded two highly correlated factors, which differed somewhat across the groups ("Course " and "Instruction"; "Course/Instruction" and "Interaction Opportunities /Instructor Availability"; "Course/Instruction" and "Interaction Opportunities/Helpfulness"). The only educationally significant (r² > .05) zero-order correlations were between SRIC total scores and expected grade, and were positive in all three groups (r² = .07, .08, .06). In multiple regression analyses, …

Test Of A Psychosocial Strain Model Of Delinquency For Mexican American Youth, Jose De Jesus Rodriguez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purposes of this study were twofold: (1) to compare rates of delinquency between Mexican American and European American adolescents, and (2) to test the application of a model of delinquency designed to be especially relevant to Mexican American adolescents. The study is one of the first attempts to advance knowledge about delinquency among Mexican American adolescents through the development and test of a comprehensive model of delinquency. The model constructed as part of this study—labeled the psychosocial strain model—was unique in that it integrated variables from different theoretical perspectives and its construction was guided by knowledge of cultural and …

Amenity Migration And Social Change: Expanding The Concept Of Community Attachment And Its Relationship To Dimensions Of Well-Being In The Rural West, Joan M. Brehm

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Most sociological analyses of community attachment have focused on the strength of attachment, with little concern for the qualities or attributes of a place to which people become attached. In cases where dimensions of attachment are the focus of analysis, the literature is rather narrowly focused on social dimensions, referring most often to connections with family, friends, and other social networks and largely ignoring the realm of natural environment factors. Two primary premises motivated this study. First, sociological understandings of community attachment would benefit from an expanded analytic framework that incorporates more complex arrays of both social and natural environment …

Parents' And Teachers' Acceptability Of Treatments For Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The Effects Of Presentation And Information Delivery, Jason Donald Gage

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed problems affecting school-age children. This disorder can cause significant problems for children who consequently need treatment. Consumers of interventions for ADHD have efficacious treatments to choose from, but such treatment may not be implemented appropriately and effectiveness may decrease. Viewing treatments as 111 acceptable can affect treatment integrity and in turn increase effectiveness. Therefore, it is important that professionals understand how to increase the acceptability of treatments when first presenting treatment options to consumers. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if presenting parents and teachers with additional …

A Meta-Analysis Of The Alcohol Treatment Outcome Literature: 1993 To 2000, Anthony Phillip Tranchita

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alcohol misuse is a very common problem with high financial and personal costs. Treatment requires allocation of limited resources for optimal impact. Responsible decision making in this area should be based upon reasoned weighing of research evidence. Miller and colleagues completed a meta-analytic review of all controlled studies published before 1992 to help clinicians do just that. The coding system they employed examined methodological quality, as well as outcome, to obtain a rank­ordering of treatments that seem to have the most quality research support. The current study attempts to extend this work utilizing the same coding on studies published since …

Psychoeducation Groups For Parents Adopting Special-Needs Children, Korinne Knowlton Bouwhuis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis evaluated training groups for adoptive parents of special-needs children. It was hypothesized that training would influence parenting stress, stress symptoms, and marital satisfaction, and that helpfulness of training sections would depend upon the status of the participants' children (i.e., foster, adopted, or adoption in process). Data were collected from 15 participants who were sampled through agencies that typically interact with adoptive parents.

Repeated measures ANOYAs were computed to compare scores on the PSI/SF Parental Distress Subscale, OQ-45, and RDAS across three time intervals. No significant differences were found. Data from a scale of helpfulness were analyzed using descriptive …

Parents' Marital Quality And Interactions In Relation To Child Well-Being, Spencer C. Leavitt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Using a large national data set, this study was among the first to examine direct associations between parents' marital relationships and children's emotional, academic, and behavioral characteristics. The mediating effect of children's home environments, as well as relationships between children and parents, also were analyzed. The research design was longitudinal. Marital variables were measured in 1994, intervening variables in 1996, and children's outcome variables in 1998. It was expected that children would be influenced by three different aspects of their parents' marriage: marital happiness, marital interactions, and marital arguments. The parent/child relationship (parent/child closeness) and the children's home environments were …

Identifying Paths To Successful Marriage And Family Therapy Research: External Factors Within The Publications Of Three Eminent Marriage And Family Therapy Researchers, Sarah Rebecca Sancher Droubay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In an attempt to identify a possible pathway to successful research in marriage and family therapy (MFT), publications of three eminent MFT researchers—James Alexander, John Gottman, and Howard Liddle—were content analyzed. These 208 journal articles, books, book chapters, and dissertations were examined for external factors and patterns across time.

Results supported the importance of doing clinical work, having a sustained research interest area, obtaining funding, and maximizing the utility of one's research samples. Implications and recommendations for future researchers, research training, career paths in clinical research, and further research are given.

Concurrent And Construct Validity Of Alternating Verbal Fluency As A Measure Of Executive Function, Gail A. Mason

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alternating verbal fluency is a combination task that was designed to assess the cognitive constructs of verbal fluency and cognitive shifting, presumably for increased efficiency. Researchers and clinicians have hypothesized about the added diagnostic benefits and more sophisticated discriminability of alternating verbal fluency as compared with singular verbal fluency tasks.

To date there are no standardized forms of alternating verbal fluency tests, normed data, or a guide for differentiating patient populations. In addition, there are no published studies addressing the construct or concurrent validity of alternating verbal fluency with other tests of executive function. Thus, the purpose of the present …

Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Placement Time In People With Cystic Fibrosis, Sarah Gunnell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A retrospective chart review was conducted on pediatric patients at the Intermountain Cystic Fibrosis Center who had a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placed between 1993 and 1999. Height velocity improved significantly in the group of patients with a PEG placed; however, pulmonary function declined more significantly over time.

Questionnaires regarding attitude toward PEG placement were sent to patients enrolled in accredited cystic fibrosis centers in the mountain west region and to their parents. The overall response rate was 54.25% for the PEG questionnaire and 24% for the non-PEG questionnaire. Ninety-six percent of the patients with a PEG reported that weight …

"On Down The Road" An Intergenerational Fathering Experience, Jeffery G. Chapman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fathering has been studied with renewed interest by scholars seeking to understand the unique effects and contributions fathers have in the lives of children. Father involvement has been measured by tracking fathers· engagement with. accessibility to. and responsibility for their children during childhood and adolescence. Generative fathering theorists have proposed that fathering and fatherhood are better understood by expansion of the dimensions of father involvement. Generative fathering research has found that father-child relationships are imbued with meaning across the life cycle. The meaning of generative fathering was explored in this study across four generations of fathers. all from one extended …

Adopted Adolescents' Heterosexual Relationship Formation And Sexual Behaviors, Mathew Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adolescents' perceptions and behaviors about romantic heterosexual relationships and sexual intercourse were compared among adolescents living with adoptive, biological, and stepparents. Data come from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). In 1995, over 20,000 adolescents living throughout the United States completed a 90-minute in-home interview that asked numerous questions about romantic relationships and sexual behaviors. Add Health used a multi-stage cluster design to collect a random sample representative of adolescents attending U.S. schools.

Results showed that several demographic characteristics (gender, age, race/ethnicity, parent's education, and number of parents in the household) were associated with adolescents' perceptions and …

The Transition To Parenthood: Predictors Of Father Involvement And Marital Satisfaction For First-Time Parents, Jerry L. Cook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined some of the factors that influence father involvement for first-time parents. These variables included: general or cultural attitudes of father involvement, personal expectations for father involvement, and level of satisfaction with the marriage. A secondary purpose was to examine factors that buffer the decline of marital satisfaction associated with the transition to parenthood. It was proposed that marital satisfaction was associated with having similar expectations for father involvement, having father involvement that met or exceeded personal expectations, and accurately perceiving spousal identity. A final purpose was to create a model of father involvement, originally represented by the …

Therapists Who Do Not Seek Therapy: An Examination Of Marriage And Family Therapists In Three Western States, Austin Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This was an exploratory study of 243 MFTs in the states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. A majority (66%) reported that they had been in therapy at some time during their careers. The purposes of this research were to (a) find out how therapists effectively and ethically cope with stress, (b) find out more about the therapists who do not utilize therapy, and (c) find out what barriers therapists face in seeking therapy when they do need or desire it.

Effective coping strategies for stress included religious activities, exercise, and spending time with family and friends. Characteristics associated with not …

Good Grief Kids: An Exploratory Analysis Of Grieving Children And Teens At The Dougy Center In Portland, Oregon, Karen Sorensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Every year in the United States, anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000 youths under the age of 19 will experience the death of a parent (or both) or a sibling. The Dougy Center in Portland, Oregon, was established in 1983 to assist grieving children. Support groups are based on principles of nondirective play therapy. During the years 1996-2000, The Dougy Center administered questionnaires to a number of its clients. The results of one of these questionnaires, The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), showed that 48% of those receiving services were severely depressed at the time of entrance into the program …

The Association Between Writing About Marital Experiences And Individual Distress And Marital Satisfaction, Brad Hess

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This exploratory project studied the association between positive and negative writing assignments on marital satisfaction and individual distress levels. The sample consisted of 110 individuals (30 couples in the positive writing group, 25 in the negative writing group). Individual distress was measured with the OQ -45 .2 and marital satisfaction was measured with the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS). MAN OVA was used to test differences between pre- and post-writing intervention scores on the OQ -45.2 and RDAS. When pairing time, gender, and group in the analysis, time was the only statistically significant factor for both measures. The change from …