Digital Commons Network^™

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

Undergraduate Theses

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

The Effect Of Stress On Bone Mineral Density In College Aged Females, Grace C. Berardini

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The relationship between psychological variables and bone mineral density (BMD) has been increasingly studied in the past few years, with research suggesting that decreased mood may play a role in decreased BMD. The purpose of this study was to determine if stress in college aged females on the James Madison University campus was related to decreased BMD. This study included 46 females between the ages of 18-24, who were currently enrolled in the Fall of 2015. All participants completed a medical questionnaire, 24-hour dietary recall, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS). Participants’ BMD …

Occupational Stressors And Health Outcomes For Nurses Working In Correctional Or Non-Correctional Settings, Alyssa R. Zabin

University Scholar Projects

Due to the nature of their work, nurses often face unique occupational stressors and health outcomes. It is important to understand the source of this occupational stress and its affect on health, so that improvements can be made. This study sought to examine occupational stress and health outcomes for both correctional and non-correctional nurses across the continental United States. A survey regarding occupational stressors, community characteristics, individual beliefs, and health outcomes was completed by the nurses (N=459). Predictors including demographic factors, work related stressors, community/network factors, individual beliefs, and health conditions were investigated using linear and Poisson regression …

Unraveling Math Anxiety, Melissa Giorgio

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper focuses on finding methods to assist students identify their individual math anxiety and introduce strategies to overcome or control the anxiousness. The research indicates that the more students are in touch with their own individual math anxieties, the easier it will be to overcome the nervousness. Twenty-two students took three individual assessments and a survey to help identify their math anxiety. The first assessment was timed and students were not informed if it would count toward their grade. The second handout had no time limit and it was not going toward students’ grade in the class. The last …

Identification Of Predictors And Moderators Of Weight-Related Behaviors In College Students., Heather Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College students are at increased risk for weight-gain and obesity compared to their non-student peers. Although many studies have confirmed these findings, few address the underlying causes of weight-related behaviors in college students. Associations between sleep behaviors (sleep duration and sleep quality), stress and weight-related behaviors (physical activity and food choices) have been identified, but studies have not adequately explored these associations among college students. Further, the influence of bioecological determinants of health cannot be overlooked when addressing health-related behaviors in diverse populations. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore factors impacting sleep behaviors and weight-related behaviors in college …

An Analysis Of The Factors Influencing Bored And Emotional Eating: Should Bored Eating Exist As A Separate Construct?, Erin Elizabeth Stuck

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Emotional eating pertains to eating in response to negative emotional experiences, and can occur for a variety of reasons. Individuals may emotionally eat as a means of submerging themselves into positive reinforcing states, as a way of coping, or as a distraction from their negative emotional experience (Cialdini, 1973; Kemp, Bui, & Grier, 2013; and Spoor et al., 2006). Historically, emotional eating has included boredom. Recent research has suggested that bored eating may be a separate construct from emotional eating (Koball et al., 2012). Thus, the present study investigated the variables associated with both emotional eating and bored eating with …

How To Prolong The Career Life Of A Practicing Physician: Assessing The Causes And Extent Of Physician Burnout In A Primary Care Setting, Jean M. Tsigonis

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Physicians report widespread burnout and job dissatisfaction. Institutional and personal changes are necessary for meaningful work and restoration of the joy of the practice of medicine. This practicum project conducted a survey to assess the causes and extent of physician burnout at Tanana Valley Clinic (TVC). The Areas of Worklife Survey-Maslach Burnout Inventory (AWS-MBI) was used to gather data on the causes and extent of physician burnout. Analysis of the AWS-MBI survey data produced by Mind Garden was done by the principal investigator. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) assesses the extent of physician burnout. The Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) …

Into The Gap: A Mixed Methods Study Of Acculturation, Stress, And Refugee Family Functioning, Kieu Anh T. Do

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Every day, new waves of refugees result from increasing social, political and environmental instabilities around the world. Numerous studies have detailed the various stressors and adjustment issues that refugees face when resettled in a new host society. The majority of these studies focus on individual-level variables and not on the family as a whole. Thus, more studies are needed to understand how refugee families adjust in the resettlement context in order to promote positive outcomes. Studies that have examined family-level functioning often focus on how acculturative differences increase stress in refugee families, contributing to higher levels of familial tension and …

Economics, Eq, And Finance: The Next Frontier In Legal Education, Pamela Bucy Pierson

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Clergy Stress, Complex Trauma And Sabbath Practice : A Study On Sabbath Practice As Healing Process For Clergy Serving In Stressful Appointments, Randoph Wayne Kanipe

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Predatory Encounters On The Hpa Axis Responsiveness And Memory Of Avian Prey, Blake Carlton Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Presumably, a threatening encounter with a predator activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in free-living animals in what is commonly called a stress response, which may help mediate the lasting memory of the attack. However, these assumptions are based on experiments that do not resemble what free-living animals experience in nature, and typically involve laboratory models that can have considerably different physiological responses than their free-living counterparts. To address this gap in our understanding, I developed novel methods to examine the physiological stress response and its effects on learning and memory in ecologically relevant contexts. Specifically, I assessed the effect of …

The Contribution Of A Polygenic Risk Score To Individual Differences In Aggressive Behavior: The Moderating And Mediating Roles Of Stressful Events, Christa C. Christ

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Although aggression can be beneficial in certain situations (e.g. playing sports, self-defense), excessive and inappropriate aggression can lead to adverse physical and psychological health outcomes in both perpetrators and victims. Genetic susceptibility to negative environments can increase the likelihood of aggressive behavior in the context of situational risk factors. Low efficiency of serotonin neurotransmission and exposure to stress appear to play a prominent role in the etiology of aggressive behavior. A set of three studies assessed the contribution of polygenic risk (TPH2 rs4570625, SLC6A4 5-HTTLPR+rs25531, HTR1B rs13212041, MAOA uVNTR) to aggressive behavior, including alcohol-related aggression, in university students at varying …

Feasibility Of A Research Protocol To Investigate The Effect Of The Therapressuretm Program Using Salivary Cortisol, Scott Weeks, Kobie Boshoff, Hugh Stewart, Shona Kelly, Chris B. Della Vedova

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: There is an absence of high quality research to support the use of the Therapressure Program^TM. This pilot study aimed at developing appropriate research protocols to investigate the effectiveness of the Therapressure Program^TM on the stress response in children with sensory overresponsivity.

Method: A one-group pre-test/post-test repeated measures design was conducted using a convenience sample. Six children (6-8 years of age) with sensory overresponsivity received 14 consecutive days of the Therapressure Program^TM by their parents at home. Parents concurrently collected salivary cortisol samples from their children.

Results: Children with sensory overresponsivity displayed …

Nature As A Buffer: The Physiological Effects Of Exposure To Nature On Stress, Tyler J. Stading, Jeffrey R. Stevens

UCARE: Research Products

Exposure to images of nature following a stressful event can reduce physiological measures associated with stress. The objectives of this study was to determine whether exposure to nature before the stressor can buffer the stress response. We varied whether nature or urban images were viewed before or after a stressor and measured galvanic skin response in our participants. We describe how order of presenting the stressor influences nature’s calming effect on physiology.

Law Library Blog (April 2016): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Acute Stress Exposure And Expression Of Instrumentally Conditioned Financial Preferences: An Fmri Study, William Travis Mccuddy

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Recent research suggests acute stress exposure is associated with increased habit-based over goal-oriented decision making (e.g., Schwabe & Wolf, 2011). The current study examined whether acute stress promotes the expression of simple financial preferences “overtrained” to the point of habit in the face of a changing environment where said preferences were later rendered non-optimal. Over three days participants (N = 28) learned to discriminate between visual stimuli probabilistically associated with monetary gains or losses and made decisions between stimuli with real financial outcomes. On the fourth day after exposure to either an acute stressor or control procedure participants performed the …

Male Psychological Adaptation To Unsuccessful Medically Assisted Reproduction Treatments: A Systematic Review, Mariana Veloso Martins, Miguel Basto-Pereira, Juliana Pedro, Brennan Peterson, Vasco Almeida, Lone Schmidt, Maria Emília Costa

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND Similarly to women, men suffer from engaging in fertility treatments, both physically and psychologically. Although there is a vast body of evidence on the emotional adjustment of women to infertility, there are no systematic reviews focusing on men's psychological adaptation to infertility and related treatments.

OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE The main research questions addressed in this review were ‘Does male psychological adaptation to unsuccessful medically assisted reproduction (MAR) treatment vary over time?’ and ‘Which psychosocial variables act as protective or risk factors for psychological maladaptation?’

SEARCH METHODS A literature search was conducted from inception to September 2015 on five databases …

Moral Stress In Health Care Professionals, Maria Teresa De Jesus Alonso Castillo, Maria Magdalena Alonso-Castillo, Bertha Alicia Alonso Castillo, Nora Nelly Oliva Rodriguez, Karla Selene Lopez Garcia, Isidro Artemio Gamboa Cazares

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Session presented on Saturday, November 7, 2015 and Sunday, November 8, 2015:

Introduction: With the advent of modernity, today's world debates between what is objective and subjective, between the global and the individual. Achieving modernity in Mexican society, determines the presence of demographic and health transitions, characterized by the increase in infant (neonatal) mortality, aging of the population, the polarization of health problems, which are becoming more complex, resulting the vast majority in deep ethical dilemmas. Changes in the pattern of culture derived from modernity, characterize the individualistic society in less solidarity and more unequal. (Martinez, 2006; Rodriguez, 2009) The …

The Lived Experience Of Iraqi Nurses In Communities Impacted By War Or Terrorist Threat, Elizabeth J. Diener

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Session presented on Sunday, November 8, 2015:

Background: Over the last two decades Iraq has endured three international wars, 13 years of economic sanctions, dictatorship, foreign occupation, and acts of terrorism. For professional nurses practicing in Iraq, expectations have been that professional life continues "as usual;" caregivers are to function as if the stress of political unrest and personal insecurity does not have personal impact. Results of an extensive review of the literature review emphasize the lack of published research exploring the lived experiences of nurses living and practicing in communities that experience war and terrorist threat. These gaps make …

Listening To Student Voices: A Critical Study Of Homework, Michael Bates

LMU Theses and Dissertations

In a culture of meritocracy and an increasing emphasis on global competition, student learning has become more fully aligned with a belief in the value and effectiveness of homework. Amidst the incessant drive toward competition and an unrelenting push toward an increasing use of homework as commonplace educational practice, there also exist clarion calls to question, reform, and abolish this practice. From student stress to overarching challenges to the nature of education, there exist unexamined discourses that critically challenge current beliefs in the significance of homework practice in the United States. Through employing discussions of student voice and theoretical lenses …

The Relationship Between Bmi, And Depression, Anxiety And Stress Represented By The Physiologic Indicators Of Vagal Response And Blood Pressure, Rebecca Jo Helmreich

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between body mass index (BMI), and depression, anxiety and stress represented by the physiologic indicators of vagal response and blood pressure. Depression, anxiety and stress are precursors for numerous poor outcomes that may be associated with physiologic changes in the autonomic vagal response that often result in perinatal complications. However, it is unclear why some women experiencing adversity remain resilient and have positive perinatal outcomes in spite of an over-abundance of life circumstances. Individuals with attenuated response to life obstacles may exhibit a lack of physiologic adaptability in response …

Social Stressors, Inflammation And Preterm Birth In African-American Women, Carmen Giurgescu

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Monday, July 27, 2015:

Purpose: In 2012 in the United States, 11.5% of infants were born prematurely (<37 weeks) and African American women had almost twice the rates of preterm birth compared with non-Hispanic white women. Preterm birth is associated with neonatal mortality and morbidity, childhood illness, and school failures; and it costs $26 billion annually. Attempts to explain preterm birth disparity have focused on social stressors of neighborhood environment and racial discrimination. These social stressors increase psychological stress and are related to preterm birth. Psychological stress and its associated inflammation [e.g., interleukin (IL)-6] are also associated with preterm birth. In contrast, personal resources (e.g., coping, social support) ameliorate stress and have protective effects on preterm birth. Guided by the Stress and Coping model and the Psychoneuroimmunology framework, we examined the relationships among neighborhood environment, racial discrimination, psychological stress, personal resources, inflammation and preterm birth.

Methods: Using a longitudinal descriptive correlational design, we enrolled 114 pregnant African American women. Women completed questionnaires and had blood draw at 16-22 weeks and 26-32 weeks. Birth data were collected from medical records.

Results: Women who reported higher levels of perceived neighborhood stressors and more experiences of racial discrimination also reported higher levels of psychological stress and lower levels of personal resources. Psychological stress was related to higher levels of inflammation (IL-6, IL-8). Compared with women with full …

Law Library Blog (March 2016): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Spring 2016

Scientia

Stress busters: intervention study combats stress in African-American youth; Peer-to-peer health power; Research roundup; Notes from the field; Program accelerates health care careers; Deep dive: Alumnus researches underwater volcanoes; Lab notes

Dealing With Student Anxiety, Diane Suffridge

Collected Faculty Scholarship

A presentation on how university faculty can recognize and deal with student anxiety.

Polymorphisms Of The Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene And The Association With Stress, Randall Beck, Michael J. Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Polymorphisms in the GR gene are an interesting and important area of research as these polymorphisms may be associated with an attenuated ability to cope with stress. This project bridged an unexplored gap between cellular and environmental stress and the expression of the GR gene—specifically the Bcl1 polymorphism of the GR gene. Cellular stress is any damage caused to the cell that alters its ability to function properly (Milisav, 2011). The Bcl1 polymorphism has what are known as C and G alleles that are genotyped as either homozygous GG, homozygous CC, or heterozygous CG (Srivastava et al., 2011). The homozygous …

Polymorphisms Of The Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene And The Association With Stress, Randall Beck, Michael J. Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Polymorphisms in the GR gene are an interesting and important area of research as these polymorphisms may be associated with an attenuated ability to cope with stress. This project bridged an unexplored gap between cellular and environmental stress and the expression of the GR gene—specifically the Bcl1 polymorphism of the GR gene. Cellular stress is any damage caused to the cell that alters its ability to function properly (Milisav, 2011). The Bcl1 polymorphism has what are known as C and G alleles that are genotyped as either homozygous GG, homozygous CC, or heterozygous CG (Srivastava et al., 2011). The homozygous …

Cancer Experience Modulates The Relationship Between Child And Parent Hypothalamic Pituiatary Adrenal (Hpa) Axis Functioning, Sarah Dinces

Psychology ETDs

Objective: We examine how parental stress and pediatric cancer might jointly predict child HPA function using a non-invasive method of cortisol assessment (hair samples). Methods: Parents and children from healthy control and pediatric cancer survivor families participated. Multilevel modeling was applied to data from a nested-design study (85 children, 5-18 years old, from 64 families, healthy controls: n=32; cancer survivors: n=32) to determine the relationship between parent salivary and child hair cortisol measures. Results: No main effect of the cancer experience on child cortisol was found. Parental cortisol positively correlated with child cortisol levels within healthy controls, while there was …

Healthy Beginnings: Exploring The Impact Of Parental Stress And Relationship Quality On Birth Outcomes, Anna A. Divney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation consists of three studies exploring the effects of maternal and paternal experiences of stress and perceptions of relationship quality on length of gestation and birth weight. The first study assessed the association of parental relationship quality with the baby’s length of gestation and birth weight among 2,072 families in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study. Romantic relationships can be a substantial source of social support as well as stress, and have been shown to influence many health outcomes. Beyond crude relationship characteristics, however, few studies have assessed the association of other dimensions of relationship quality, such as …

Perceived Social Support Mediates The Association Between Optimism And Active Coping, Tracy Chapman, Terry Chi

Northwestern Review

The current study investigated two mediation models that may partially explain the association between optimism and active coping. One-hundred fifty-three participants completed self-report surveys to assess each construct. Results showed that while high perceived social support completely mediated the association between optimism and active coping, internal locus of control was not a mediator of the association. Implications from this study suggest that perceived social support plays a significant role in the relationship between optimistic personality type and active coping style.