Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Social Media On The Self-Esteem Of Youth 10–17 Years Old: A Review Of The Literature, Jasmine M. Daniels

Dissertations

The world of technology has expanded quickly and vastly since its inception. The creation of social media sites and applications has changed the ways in which youth interact, connect, and share with one another. As the number of social media sites and applications increases, so does their use by adolescents. During adolescence, youth are undergoing the process of identity development and self-esteem is an important part of this development. During this developmental period, adolescents’ self-esteem is likely to be affected by the feedback they receive online through social media sites. There is limited research available that specifically evaluated the impact …

You Are Resilient: Trauma-Informed, Strengths-Based Treatment For Low-Ses, Urban Youth, Courtney Molina

Dissertations

The focus in this review was to explore the benefits and optimal use of trauma-informed, strengths-based care for the therapeutic treatment of low-socioeconomic status (SES), urban youth. Specific focus was given to evidence-based research on the treatment of emotional and behavioral dysregulation among low-SES, urban youth. The review was guided by the following research questions: How can emotional and behavioral dysregulation be symptoms of trauma among low-SES, urban youth; What makes trauma-informed and strengths-based care optimal for the treatment of low-SES, urban youth with dysregulation; and What are clear guidelines for providing trauma-informed, strengths-based care to low-SES, urban youth with …

Multicultural Competence, White Privilege Attitudes And The Working Alliance In Clinical Supervision, Michelle A. Stahl

Dissertations

Research indicates that White supervisors have difficulty facilitating and integrating multicultural issues in supervision (Fong & Lease, 1997; Hird, Tao, & Gloria, 2004). A factor that interferes with a multicultural focus in supervision is the multicultural competence of the supervisor (Miville, Rosa, & Constantine, 2005). Moreover, as a result of White privilege, White supervisors may also be less aware of their cultural selves and subsequently less inclined to discuss multicultural issues in supervision (Hird et al., 2004). Lack of attention to important multicultural issues, such as White privilege, can interfere with the development of an effective supervisory alliance (Constantine & …

Inverse Problems For Polynomial And Rational Matrices, Richard Allen Hollister

Dissertations

Inverse problems have long been studied in mathematics not only because there are many applications in science and engineering, but also because they yield new insight into the beauty of mathematics. Central to the subject of linear algebra is the eigenvalue problem: given a matrix, and its eigenvalues (numerical invariants). Eigenvalue problems play a key role in almost every field of scientific endeavor from calculating the vibrational modes of a molecule to modeling the spread of an infectious disease, and so have been studied extensively since the time of Euler in the 18th century.

If a typical matrix eigenvalue problem …

Mindfulness And Technology: Evaluating An Online Mindfulness Intervention For Symptoms Related To Sexual Assault, Erica Catherine Johnson

Dissertations

Sexual assault has been found to increase the risk of distressing psychological symptoms including PTSD, depression, somatization, drug and substance use, lower quality of life and experiential avoidance. As such, interventions for reducing the distress and negative impacts of sexual assault are of importance. Mindfulness is of particular interest as it addresses one of the prominent factors known to maintain psychological distress after trauma, experiential avoidance (Polusny et al., 2004; Merwin et al., 2009). Furthermore, an online mindfulness-based intervention can increase the accessibility and reduce the barriers to treatment. A within subjects repeated measures open clinical trial design was used …

Between Two Worlds: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Experiences And Understandings Related To Race For Black Transracially Adopted Emerging Adults, Kyrai Antares

Dissertations

The current study provides a rich description of experiences and understandings related to race for transracially adopted Black emerging adults who were raised in Michigan or Ohio by White parents. Current adoption policy requires that race not be considered as a factor in foster and adoptive placements, and there is no required multicultural, race-focused training for White adoptive parents of children of color. This study begins a new line of research looking closely at the stories of transracial adoptees of a specific age group, racial identity, and geographical location of upbringing. The intention is to gain a better understanding of …

The Relationship Between Adult Attachment, Perceived Social Support, And Depression In Chinese College Students With Different Life Experiences, Yuge Guo

Dissertations

Guo, Yuge. The Relationship between Adult Attachment, Perceived Social Support and Depression in Chinese College Students with Different Life Experiences. Published Dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, August 2020. The population of left-behind children in China face great challenges in daily life and serious concern has been raised over their physical and psychological health. The current study examines whether childhood left-behind experiences have a long-term impact on the mental health of college students in comparison to their peers without such experiences. The current study explored if there were difference in the level of insecure attachment to a parent figure, perceived social …

Variations On A Theme Of Robert Schumann: Intertextual References And Private Meaning In Clara Schumann’S Opus 20 And Johannes Brahms’S Opus 9, Karin Buer

Dissertations

Buer, Karin. Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann: Intertextual References and Private Meaning in Clara Schumann’s Opus 20 and Johannes Brahms’s Opus 9. Published Doctor of Arts dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2020. For centuries, composers have used their music as an expressive tool, imbuing it with publicly accessible meaning that often reflects the time and place in which the composer lived. Throughout the nineteenth century, the view of music as a means of expression, specifically self-expression, became crystallized as never before. Robert Schumann and other literary-minded nineteenth-century composers thus communicated, through their art, meanings which were both public …

Ally Or Enemy: The Impact Of Leadership On United States Army Combat Veterans’ Deployment Experiences Who Have Served In Iraq And Afghanistan, Derik Van Baale

Dissertations

Soldiers’ deployment experiences have been well-researched and studied, but the primary focus has been on enemy-induced trauma. Being a combat veteran who served in Iraq myself, and as someone who has counseled a plethora of combat veterans, I am keenly aware that there is more than exposure to enemy fire and the loss of comrades that can leave a lasting impression. Often, the actions by and interactions with leaders during deployments can also prove to be quite impactful to soldiers. However, very little research exists on the impact of leadership behavior as a factor during a soldier’s deployment experience and …

The Effects Of A Course Oriented In Critical Race Theory On White Counselor Trainees’ Multicultural Counseling Competence, White Privilege Attitudes, And Cross Racial Contact, Dawnielle D. Simmons

Dissertations

The current study examined the effects of a single and required Critical Race Theory (CRT)-oriented multicultural course on White, master-level counselor trainees with and without clinical experience. More specifically, the study examined differences in White counselor trainees’ responses to instruments that assessed White privilege attitudes, multicultural counseling competence, and cross-racial contact comparing trainees that had taken the required multicultural course with those who had not. Previous research suggests that when a single multicultural counseling course is a requirement of counselor training, multicultural counseling competence and White privilege awareness tend to increase. In the current study, a CRT-oriented course was used …

Performance Management Training Evaluation In An Autism Treatment Facility, James D. Morrison

Dissertations

The demand for Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) has increased dramatically since 2010 (Burning Glass Technologies, 2019). A core component of a BCBA’s role is to provide supervision to Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBA) and other paraprofessionals. Currently there is a lack of research on effective supervision training in the ABA literature. This study evaluated a supervision training program based on the Operant Model of Effective Supervision developed by Komaki (1986). The training developed for this study incorporated basic OBM concepts such as behavioral pinpointing, feedback, and goal setting as well as concepts such as work sampling, which the …

What Kind Of Support Do New Special Education Teachers In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia Need?, Abdulhakeem M. Almoneef

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the challenges faced by new special education teachers of hearing impaired students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the support they identified that they would like to receive during the first years of their teaching experience. Exploring the concerns of special education teachers of hearing impaired students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an important step in determining how these concerns may be addressed in order to improve instruction for deaf and hearing impaired students. The identification of the challenges and desires of new special education teachers of deaf and …

Drunkorexia And Gender Role Conformity, Sarah Zwetzig

Dissertations

Zwetzig, Sarah. Drunkorexia and Gender Role Conformity. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2020. Drunkorexia, a behavior involving binge drinking and compensatory eating or dieting behaviors, has been found in approximately 15-39% of college-aged individuals (Burke, Cremeens, & Vail-Smith, 2010; Giles, Champion, Sutfin, McCoy, & Wagoner, 2009; Roosen & Mills, 2015). Its prevalence, along with increased risk of negative consequences, make drunkorexia a particularly risky behavior (Giles et al., 2009). The current study examined the relationship and predictive power of gender role conformity, both feminine (as measured by the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory-45 [Parent & Moradi, …

Protective Factors For Secondary Traumatic Stress In Residential Treatment Staff, Stacey Gagliano

Dissertations

Gagliano, Stacey. Protective factors for secondary traumatic stress in residential treatment staff. Unpublished Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2020. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between empathy, a problem-focused coping style, compassion satisfaction (CS), staff cohesion, and symptoms of secondary traumatic stress (STS) in residential treatment center (RTC) staff, while controlling for previous direct trauma exposure. A total of 44 participants were recruited from RTCs in a western state and included mental health care providers (clinical staff), direct-care staff, and educational staff. Participants completed a 62-question electronic survey that included several self-report measures evaluating each of the …

The Role Of Masculinity In The Development Of Capability For Suicide, Claire Houtsma

Dissertations

Males account for over two-thirds of suicide deaths annually. Additionally, more than 50% of American suicide deaths annually are firearm-related. Suicide risk is elevated within firearm owning households and men are more likely to own firearms, which suggests that male firearm owners are at disproportionate risk for suicide. Prior research has argued that certain stereotypically male traits (e.g., lack of help-seeking) may explain sex differences in suicide death; however, this remains a poorly understood phenomenon. Male gender norms (e.g. physical toughness, self-reliance) may contribute to the development or expression of capability for suicide, primarily through their impact on behavior. The …

Student-Athlete Success: An Examination Of Parenting, Grit, Academic Success, And Mental Health Outcomes, Jackson Howard

Dissertations

Factors such as poor adjustment, substance misuse, and mental health concerns have been found to be detrimental to college student success. Considering this, researchers have focused on investigating protective factors, which may enhance performance in higher education. Specifically, non-cognitive traits, such as grit, or an ability to maintain determination and passion for long-term goals in the face of adversity, and positive parenting strategies, such as psychological autonomy granting, have been tied to positive outcomes for college students in higher education. Conversely, overparenting behaviors and negative outcomes, such as burnout, have been found to be damaging to student success. Student-athletes are …

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 …

Natural Disasters And Attachment Quality: The Mediating Roles Of Self-Compassion And Positive Mental Health, Alexandra Teller

Dissertations

Emerging adults exposed to natural disasters may develop posttraumatic stress symptoms, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders. Attachment quality has been found to be negatively associated with psychopathology in emerging adult hurricane survivors; however, the mechanisms by which this occurs have not yet been explored fully. Self-compassion may act as a protective factor against developing psychopathology while potentially promoting positive mental health outcomes following hurricane exposure. Furthermore, positive mental health has been identified as a potential resilience resource and may be impacted by attachment quality and self-compassion. The present study investigated the relationships between attachment quality, self-compassion, positive mental health, posttraumatic …

The Roles Of Violence Exposure And Gender On The Relationship Between Adolescent Psychopathic And Conduct Disorder Traits And The Capability For Suicide, Tiffany Harrop

Dissertations

Suicide represents one of the leading causes of mortality for adolescents. Externalizing behaviors, such as psychopathic and conduct disorder traits, represent risk factors for adolescent suicide. Investigation of suicide capability is especially important, as it is theorized to distinguish individuals who evince suicide ideation from those who progress to making a suicide attempt. Currently, associations between psychopathic and conduct disorder traits and capability in youth are understudied, as well as factors that may potentiate these associations, such as exposure to violence and gender. The aim of this study was to explore the interactive nature of psychopathic and conduct disorder traits, …

The Role Of Acculturation And Acculturative Stress In The Association Between Generational Status And Factors Related To Suicide Among South Koreans In The United States, Hyejin Jin

Dissertations

Korean Americans have the highest suicide mortality rates among Asian American subgroups (6.84 per 100,000 population; U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Therefore, it may be important to examine the unique factors that account for the suicide rates of Korean Americans, especially since current knowledge on suicide with Korean Americans is limited. Thus, the present dissertation study sought to examine the role of acculturation and acculturative stress in the association between generational status and factors related to suicide among Korean Americans.

A sample of 150 participants completed a study protocol consisting of various self-report measures on MTurk. The results supported the hypothesis …

Evaluating The Effects Of Behavior Bingo On Students' Academically Engaged Behaviors, Kristi White

Dissertations

This study sought to extend the current literature regarding the use of an interdependent group contingency intervention (i.e., Behavior Bingo) for increasing students’ academically engaged behavior and decreasing students’ disruptive behaviors. Participants included three 6th grade Science teachers and their students. An ABAB design across classrooms was used to examine the effects of the Behavior Bingo intervention on students’ behaviors. Specifically, this study consisted of four phases: a) baseline, b) behavior Bingo intervention, c) withdrawal from intervention, and d) intervention reinstated. Results indicated increases in student’s academically engaged behaviors following implementation of the Behavior Bingo intervention with moderate to large …

Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support For Head Start Teachers Behavior Specific Praise, Elizabeth Lown

Dissertations

A variety of evidence-based studies have examined teachers’ intervention implementation and its effects on student outcomes. This study tested a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support approach to supporting teachers’ intervention implementation. Specifically, the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support approach was comprised of Tier 1 (didactic training), Tier II (tactile prompting), and Tier III (performance feedback). The primary dependent variable was Head Start teachers' use of behavior specific praise. Secondary dependent variables included teachers' use of reprimand statements and child outcomes, which included academically engaged behavior and disruptive behavior. This study further examined if Head Start teachers' use of behavior specific praise was …

An Examination Of Parental Locus Of Control, Stress, Social Support, And Depression Among Parents Of Children And Adolescents With Intellectual Disabilities, Brandi Ellis

Dissertations

Caregivers (i.e., mothers and fathers) of youths with ID seem to be at a much higher risk of having symptoms of depression than caregivers of typically developing youths (Cantwell, Muldoon, & Gallagher, 2015; Giallo et al., 2015; Hu et al., 2010; Lee, 2013). A concurrent link has been found between parental locus of control (PLOC) and depression; however, there is a lack of support for a longitudinal association between these constructs among caregivers of youths with ID (Campis, Lyman, & Prentice-Dunn, 1986; Coyne & Thompson, 2011; Freed & Tompson, 2011; Lloyd & Hastings, 2009). Researchers have hypothesized that the lack …

Brief Intervention With Holland’S Theory And Vocational Calling: Three Conditions With Pre-Existing Calling Status As A Covariate, Nathan Ross

Dissertations

In a series of workshops, Holland’s RIASEC Theory and elements of Cognitive Information Processing Theory were infused with vocational calling language. Participants were largely college freshman in a community learning group and students participating in an extra credit opportunity in the School of Psychology. An in-person quasi-experimental design compared outcomes between three career workshops (i.e., Holland, Calling, and Control) on career decision-making self-efficacy, cognitive and emotional career decision-making difficulties, and vocational identity. The Calling workshop outperformed Holland and Control for all measured career variables (i.e., career decision-making self-efficacy, cognitive career decision-making difficulties, emotional and personality career decision-making difficulty, and vocational …

Exploring The Maladaptive Cognitions Of Moral Injury, Rachel L. Martin

Dissertations

Moral injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are two prominent mental health problems that affect military personnel. Moral injury results when the individual is exposed to a situation or event that violates their moral code; however, PTSD results when there is a substantial threat of harm. Moral injury is a relatively new construct within the literature with research starting in the late 2000s. Although distorted cognitions are core components of PTSD symptomatology, there has been no research of cognitions in moral injury. The current study sought to differentiate PTSD and moral injury using the specific maladaptive cognitions associated with trauma …

The Effects Of Culturally Competent Messaging On Willingness To Engage In Firearm Means Safety, Sarah E. Butterworth

Dissertations

Little is known regarding how to most effectively deliver messaging that promotes safe firearm storage behavior. This study examined the extent to which engagement with firearm means safety messaging is conditional based on type of messaging, political beliefs, past suicidal ideation, and implicit associations of firearms with safety or danger. A sample of 909 American firearm owners recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (mTurk) was randomized to receive standard or gun culture-friendly firearm suicide prevention messaging at baseline, with 608 completing one-month follow-up. Main effects of messaging condition on means safety openness, intention to change firearm storage practices, and actual changes …

Exploring The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, And Empathy In Student Therapists, Nicole Montes

Dissertations

Literature suggests that the practice of mindfulness may foster self-compassion within the practitioner. Mindfulness is also associated with increased empathy towards others. The current study explored the relationship between a mindfulness intervention and student clinicians’ levels of self-compassion and empathy towards a mock “client.” Graduate student clinicians were randomly assigned to two groups: one that participated in a mindfulness exercise then viewed a mock client video, and another that did not participate in the mindfulness exercise and went directly to viewing the mock client video. Participants’ levels of empathy towards the client and self-compassion were measured. The results revealed no …

Reducing Levels Of Maladaptive Perfectionism In Gifted And Talented Youth Through A Mindfulness Intervention, Sophia Rebecca Olton-Weber

Dissertations

This study examined the impact of a mindfulness program on 42 middle school students who had been identified as Gifted and Talented. Participants completed a six-week intervention designed to teach mindfulness. Before starting the group, students completed the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS; Flett et al., 2016) which provides a measure of self (i.e., setting excessively high goals and standards for self) as well as socially-prescribed (i.e., perception that others are holding individual to unrealistic standards) perfectionism. Additionally, participants’ use of mindfulness was measured. All measures were completed at pre-, post-intervention, and at follow up to determine whether the …

Comparing Student Nurse Experiences With Developing Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Competencies In Hospital And Nursing Homes: A Mixed Methods Study, Maria M. Tice

Dissertations

Tice, Maria M. Comparing Student Nurse Experiences with Developing Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Competencies in Hospital and Nursing Homes: A Mixed Methods Study. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2020. Nurse educators today face many barriers to attracting and retaining an adequate workforce of nurses to serve two significantly underserved and growing populations: elders and persons with mental illnesses. The primary purpose of this study was to compare and contrast how baccalaureate student nurses’ level of engagement and the perceived quality of the learning environments in inpatient mental health units and nursing homes were related to students’ …

Transitions: The Lived Experience Of Bachelor Of Science Nursing Students, Rita Peters

Dissertations

Peters, Rita. Transitions: The Lived Experience of Bachelor of Science Nursing Students. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2020. This study explored the lived experience of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) nurse utilizing an interpretive phenomenological approach. Transition theory was utilized as the lens to guide the study. Societal needs are demanding nurses who are capable of caring for increasingly complex patients. An aging population continues to increase the need for nurses. The increased need for new nurses is complicated by continuing attrition from schools of nursing. The literature identified many interventions that have been …