Digital Commons Network^™

Wellness As A Mitigating Factor Against Burnout For Public School Teachers, Michelle Welch Brasfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The incidence of teacher stress and burnout has been researched for many years in various geographic areas and populations. In more recent years, wellness has been proposed as a mitigating factor in reducing the incidence of burnout in the education profession. Wellness involves a holistic approach in determining the positive coping skills and practices that an individual utilizes across all life areas. Research to determine if there is a relationship between burnout and specific wellness practices may provide educational leaders with methods to assist teachers in lowering the occurrence of burnout. The professional school counselor is one educational leader who …

Locus Of Control, Self-Efficacy, And The Mediating Effect Of Outcome Control: Predicting Course-Level And Global Outcomes In An Academic Context, Evelyn W. M. Au

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background and Objectives. The current study utilizes Skinner's framework to examine the unique contributions of internal locus of control, self-efficacy, and perceived outcome control over course performance on students' academic experiences. Method. Undergraduate students (N = 225) took part in a longitudinal study and completed two surveys (Time 1: just before their mid-term exams; Time 2: just before their final exam in the same semester). Results. Both locus of control and self-efficacy at Time 1 predicted course-level perceived control over course performance at Time 2. Student-level perceived control over course performance at Time 2 mediated the relationship between self-efficacy at …

Phonetic Training Significantly Mitigates The Stress ‘Deafness’ Of French Speakers, Angela C. Carpenter

Faculty Research and Scholarship

Stress ‘deafness’ refers to the inconsistent perception and/or processing of phonological stress by speakers of fixed stress languages such as French. This paper briefly reports on the results of a study in which French and English participants performed an ABX word stress task, similar to Dupoux et al.’s (1997) Experiment 1. A group of French and a group of English speakers received phonetic training designed to improve perception while two other groups of French and English speakers received no training. The training was an adaptation of the perceptual fading technique, which exposes listeners to stressed syllables that exaggerate the durational …

Low-Income Pennsylvanian Parents Of 10-14 Year Olds Reveal Stressors That Challenge Obesity Prevention Efforts, Loren Archibeque, Barbara Lohse

Presentations and other scholarship

Low-income Pennsylvanian parents of 10-14 year olds reveal stressors that challenge obesity prevention efforts. J Nutri Educ Behav. 2015;47(4S):S68. Objective: To describe the psychographics of a lower income, parent/caregiver population recruited to evaluate My Child’s Weight, a program that addresses parent/caregiver concerns about their child’s body size, development, and weight changes. Study Design, Settings, Participants: Cross-sectional online survey (Qualtrics Pro, Provo, UT). Participants were parents/caregivers of children 10 – 14 y, recruited from low-income venues. Measurable Outcome/Analyses: Participants completed items from the SNAP-Education and Administration Reporting System, Satter Eating Competence Inventory, Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R18), Sense of Coherence (3-item), …

Is It Time To Consider The “Burnout Syndrome” A Distinct Illness?, Renzo Bianchi, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Eric Laurent

Publications and Research

The “burnout syndrome” has been defined as a combination of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment caused by chronic occupational stress. Although there has been increasing medical interest in burnout over the last decades, it is argued in this paper that the syndrome cannot be elevated to the status of diagnostic category, based on (1) an analysis of the genesis of the burnout construct, (2) a review of the latest literature on burnout-depression overlap, (3) a questioning of the three-dimensional structure of the burnout syndrome, and (4) a critical examination of the notion that burnout is singularized by its …

Effects Of Early-Adolescent, Mid-Adolescent, Or Adult Stress On Morphine Conditioned Place Preference, Chloe Shields

Senior Theses

In light of previous work demonstrating that stress can increase subjective drug reward in adult rats, the present study investigated the influence of stress on morphine conditioned place preference (CPP) in early-adolescent, mid-adolescent, and adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Subjects in each age group were assigned to either a no stress condition or a stress condition in which they were exposed to an unpredictable eight-day schedule of elevated platform and synthetic fox odor stressors. Place conditioning then evaluated subjective morphine reward in all animals. Using a biased procedure, subjects were assigned to receive morphine on the initially non-preferred side of the …

Comparing The Effects Of Conventional And Pastured Poultry Production Systems On The Stress Levels Of Broilers, Kristina M. Liles, Jannette R. Bartlett, Ronique C. Beckford

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

The objective of this study was to measure stress levels in broilers raised on a pasture production system (PPS) and a conventional production system (CPS) by evaluating lymphoid organ weights, white blood cell profiles (WBCP), total white blood cell counts (TWBC), and heterophil to lymphocyte ratios (HLR). Broilers were brooded indoors for 3 weeks then divided into 2 groups; one placed on pasture while the other remained indoors. Blood was collected at weeks 3, 5, and 7 via brachial venipuncture. After 49 days, birds were slaughtered and lymphoid organs harvested. Results showed no differences between treatments for lymphoid organs, …

Reducing Stress And Increasing Hope Among Typhoon Yolanda Survivors, Maria Victoria Del Fierro, Mary Elizabeth Huxster

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Hundreds of thousands of people are affected by natural disasters every year. Many of these people face mental and emotional consequences from the traumatic experience. Research indicates that the aftereffects of such experiences can result in social, familial, and educational impairments in children. The current study tested the efficacy of a brief cognitive behavioral intervention on elementary school aged children intended to alleviate the mental and emotional consequences following a natural disaster. The study applied quantitative methods through pre and post intervention assessments measuring stress and hope. The participants assessed included 18 Filipino children between the ages of 10-12 years, …

Caregivers’ Emotional Experiences Regarding Their Adolescent’S Substance Abuse Problem, Cindy Reyes, Brenda Jane Duchene

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The primary aim of this investigation was to explore caregivers’ emotional experiences regarding their adolescent with substance abuse problems. These researchers systematically examined the literature on caregiver stress and found a large body of studies on caregivers of persons with mental illness, severe medical problems including cancer, HIV/AIDS, and developmental disabilities. Yet, an absence of research was found on caregivers including parents of adolescents with drug and/or alcohol problems. Based on the findings on investigations with other types of caregivers, these researchers expected caregivers of adolescent substance abusers to report high levels of emotional and psychological distress. Like caregivers of …

Custodial Grandmothers Raising Children With Disabilities And The Stressors They Face, Kanika Oni Kisero

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Stressors that custodial grandmothers face while raising children with disabilities can be more overwhelming compared to stressors experienced by grandmothers of non-disabled children. Strategies and various supports were looked into in order to determine how custodial grandmothers practice self-care so they may experience positive mental health outcomes. A purposive sample of custodial grandmothers was surveyed and the results obtained provided some support on how self-care is and is not practiced in order to manage stress. This study resulted in non-significant findings, which did not support the hypotheses. Additional analysis was used to gauge levels of stress, but could not …

Age And Sex Differences In Steadiness Of Elbow Flexor Muscles With Imposed Cognitive Demand, Hugo M. Pereira, Vincent C. Spears, Bonnie Schlinder-Delap, Tejin Yoon, Kristy A. Nielson, Sandra K. Hunter

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: These studies determined (1) age and sex-related differences in steadiness of isometric contractions when high cognitive demand was imposed across a range of forces with the elbow flexor muscles (study 1) and, (2) sex differences in steadiness among older adults when low cognitive demand was imposed (study 2).

Methods: 36 young adults (18–25 years; 18 women) and 30 older adults (60–82 years; 17 women) performed isometric contractions at 5%, 30% and 40% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Study 1 involved a high-cognitive demand session (serial subtractions by 13 during the contraction) and a control session …

Gender Differences In Stress, Alcohol Consumption, And Cigarette Use Among College Students At San José State University, Thomas Farleigh

Master's Theses

Stress, alcohol consumption, and cigarette use represent three considerable threats to the mental and physical health within this country. Learning more about the prevalence and predictors of these threats in young adults may aid the development of programs to reduce the deleterious effects of these threats as young adult's age. A vast amount of research has been done to examine the possible association between stress and substance use in college students, but given the diversity of college students across the US, more research is needed targeting specific college campuses. This study did so with regard to a sample of students …

A Comparative Study On The Stress Levels Of Black, White, Asian, And Latino Undergraduate Students, Franklin Dickerson Turner, Jeffrey K. Smith

Journal of Research Initiatives

Research found that undergraduates who had poor academic performance and experienced depression and anxiety were reported to have encountered higher levels of stress than those students who persisted (Andrews & Wilding, 2004; Bennett, 2003). It also was found that minority students had a higher tendency to experience stress than their counterparts. Although, universities allocate resources to recruit minority undergraduates and provide various types of support, many universities tend to be limited in the resources for handling and detecting stressors among college students. The purpose of this research was to investigate the different levels of stress faced by minority college students …

Aversive Stimuli Drive Drug Seeking In A State Of Low Dopamine Tone, Robert C. Twining, Daniel S. Wheeler, Amanda L. Ebben, Andre J. Jacobsen, Mykel A. Robble, John R. Mantsch, Robert A. Wheeler

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Stressors negatively impact emotional state and drive drug seeking, in part, by modulating the activity of the mesolimbic dopamine system. Unfortunately, the rapid regulation of dopamine signaling by the aversive stimuli that cause drug seeking is not well characterized. In a series of experiments, we scrutinized the subsecond regulation of dopamine signaling by the aversive stimulus, quinine, and tested its ability to cause cocaine seeking. Additionally, we examined the midbrain regulation of both dopamine signaling and cocaine seeking by the stress-sensitive peptide, corticotropin releasing factor (CRF).

Methods

Combining fast-scan cyclic voltammetry with behavioral pharmacology, we examined the effect of …

The Effects Of Hpa Axis Genetic Variation And Early Life Stress On Cortisol Levels In Preschool Age Children And On Amygdala And Hippocampus Volumes, Reactivity, And Connectivity At School Age, David Pagliaccio

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Internalizing psychopathology has been linked to increased cortisol reactivity and alterations in limbic brain structure and function, yet the mechanisms underlying these alterations are unclear. One key hypothesis is that stress plays a major causal role in these mechanisms. Animal studies find that chronic stress or glucocorticoid administration lead to alterations in hippocampal and amygdala structure and function. Relatedly, life stress is a major risk factors for depression while candidate gene studies have related variation in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis genes to increased prevalence and severity of depression. The present work tested the hypothesis that genetic profile scores combining variance across …

The Nonmedical Use Of Prescription Stimulants Among Students With High Academic Standing, Megan L. Dwyer

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

College students report one of the highest rates of the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NPS). Research has shown that use is more common among students who have high levels of perceived stress, such as honors students. The purpose of this study was to determine whether honors students reported higher rates of NPS than their non-honors peers with high academic standing. It was hypothesized that honors students would report higher rates of use. The instrument used in this study was an email survey that was administered electronically through the online Qualtrics Survey system. The survey request was sent to 3,530 …

Traumatic Experiences And Cognition: How Do Static And Dynamic Variables Contribute To Current Functioning?, Cathryn Richmond

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Approximately 25% of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event before age 4, and individuals with a history of trauma, particularly traumatic events in childhood, have a much higher likelihood of developing psychopathology in adulthood. Prior research indicates that the vast majority of individuals with a serious mental illness, particularly those in community mental health centers and psychiatric inpatient settings, have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. These individuals require special consideration in treatment planning, and a large range of neurodevelopmental and environmental factors must be taken into account when interpreting results …

Mindfulness-Based Practice In Schools, Nicole E. Klein

Counselor Education Capstones

The effect of stress on children is pervasive and ongoing into adulthood. Stressful life events can vary in terms of frequency and intensity and can include stressors such as family discord, peer relationships, academics, and overuse of technology. These types of stress can occur as single, major events or as frequent minor events. Although certain types of stress can be positive, it is important that children develop adequate coping strategies in order to deal with negative stress. Without coping strategies, children can experience negative effects physically, emotionally, behaviorally, and intellectually. A major role of a school counselor is assisting children …

Determining If There Is A Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Stress, Sara Roderick

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Locus of Control and stress are potentially vital concepts that could, in theory, reveal to be major players in everyday life. Previous research has examined locus of control in relation to stress, although both locus of control and stress were variables defined in a variety of different contexts depending on the research. Some studies focused on locus of control and stress in regards to specific environments, while others looked at the concepts in broader terms, such as this study does. Indeed, the present study sought to explore the relationship between these two concepts in a more general sense, in order …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Koru: A Mindfulness Program For College Students And Other Emerging Adults., Jeffrey M Greeson, Michael K Juberg, Margaret Maytan, Kiera James, Holly Rogers

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of Koru, a mindfulness training program for college students and other emerging adults.

PARTICIPANTS: Ninety students (66% female, 62% white, 71% graduate students) participated between Fall 2012 and Spring 2013.

METHODS: Randomized controlled trial. It was hypothesized that Koru, compared with a wait-list control group, would reduce perceived stress and sleep problems, and increase mindfulness, self-compassion, and gratitude.

RESULTS: As hypothesized, results showed significant Group (Koru, Wait-List)×Time (Pre, Post) interactions for improvements in perceived stress (F[1, 76.40]=4.50, p=.037, d=.45), sleep problems (F [1, 79.49]=4.71, p=.033, d=.52), mindfulness (F [1, 79.09]=26.80, p

CONCLUSIONS: Results support the …

An Examination Of Perceived Stress And Coping Strategies Among Research University Chief Financial Officers, Patrick Michael Gallagher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure and report the perceived stress among research postsecondary institution chief financial officers. A non-experimental descriptive approach was used in this investigation. Research questions were developed to describe and seek any differences in stress among the respondents. The population for this study was chief financial officers in research institutions based on the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching but excluded CFOs that had responsibility over multiple campuses, medical or professional schools and any vacant positions. The sample consisted of 90 respondents from public and private institutions. Data was collected by a self-reported …

Encouraging Engagement With Therapeutic Landscapes: Using Transparent Spaces To Optimize Stress Reduction In Urban Health Facilities, Shan Jiang

All Dissertations

Large hospitals are being built in the way that divorces patients from the natural environments (i.e., daylight, natural ventilation and therapeutic landscapes) (Verderber & Fine, 2000). Empirical research on this subject suggests that patients experience physical environment-related stress in such settings due to lack of control and insufficient connectivity with the exterior world (Ulrich et al., 2004). On the other hand, nature has been proven therapeutic in many ways, such as in reducing mental fatigue (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989), reducing stress (Ulrich, 1999), reducing pain (Vincent, 2009). Although gardens are seeing a revival in hospitals in the recent decade, issues …

Seasonal Variation In Corticosterone, Stress Responses, And Physiology In The Northern Cardinal Cardinalis Cardinalis, Benjamin Matthew Duckworth

Master's Theses

Seasonal regulation of the adrenocortical response (e.g., ‘stress response’) appears to be ubiquitous in mid- to high-latitude vertebrates. Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are a Temperate dwelling passerine of Tropical-descent with a wide species range (tropics to Northern Temperate zones). This species encounters a wide variety of environmental conditions and strong seasonality, however corticosterone (CORT, the main adrenal stress hormone) has not been studied with regards to changes in seasonal levels. I initially analyzed samples from cardinals collected between 2007-2011 from the Lake Thoreau Environmental Research and Educational Center (Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA). The data suggested seasonal differences of CORT, with higher …

Perceived Stress And Suicidal Behaviors In College Students: Conditional Indirect Effects Of Depressive Symptoms And Mental Health Stigma, Esther Reynolds

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in college students, making it a significant public health concern on college campuses. Perceived stress, depression, and mental health stigma are established risk factors for engaging in suicidal behaviors; however, their interrelationships are unknown. In a sample of 913 college students, we examined the role of depressive symptoms as a potential mediator of the relation between stress and suicidal behavior, and mental health stigma as a moderator of that effect. In bivariate analyses, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, mental health stigma and suicidal behaviors were all positively correlated. Additionally, depressive symptoms partially mediated …

Anxiety Sensitivity, Stress, And Problematic Drinking Behaviors Among College Students, Kathryn V. Bulandr

Honors Projects

The current study examined whether the combination of anxiety sensitivity (AS) and stress affected college students’ urge and motive to drink alcohol. Participants (n= 95, 44.2% male, 55.8% female, M_age= 18.82 years) included undergraduate students from Illinois Wesleyan University. Participants were asked to fill out a series of questionnaires, in addition to a short anagram task, which was used to induce stress in half of the sample. A multivariate factorial analysis was used to examine two main effects (AS and stress levels) and one interaction effect. Our hypothesis was partially supported, in that there was only …

Factors Affecting Intent To Persist Among Hispanic/Latino Students Attending A Private Non-Profit Nonresidential University, Cristy E. Sibila

Open Access Dissertations

The number and types of institutions of higher education are rapidly increasing, thus providing students with almost boundless options for higher education pursuits. At this time more than 50% of the regionally accredited, non-profit, four-year universities in the United States are private and the for-profit sector continues to grow. Since 1975 enrollments at private, non-profit institutions have risen from 2.3 to 3.9 million students of which over 335,000 are Hispanic/Latino students. And, for Hispanic/Latino students, graduation rates are highest at private, non-profit institutions where 62.4% of students graduate within 6 years. However, little research on Hispanic/Latino students has been done …

The Effect Of Education On Compassion Fatigue As Experienced By Staff Nurses, Kathryn L. Zehr

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Historically, nursing has been perceived as a highly rewarding profession. Yet, due to the increasing complexity of today’s healthcare, nurses are faced with greater challenges in their work environments. Registered nurses who work in tertiary care settings are exposed to disturbing patient situations including trauma, death, abuse, or chronic disease. Joinson (1992) described this experience as compassion fatigue and symptoms include headaches, short attention span, or fatigue. A review of literature has identified that nurses should be educated about risk factors and coping strategies to combat compassion fatigue. Guided by the Model for Evidence-Based Practice Change and Jean Watson’s Theory …

Honors Students’ Characteristics, Perceived Locus Of Control And Attributions, Maria E. Leatherwood

Senior Honors Theses

Recent literature has sought to identify variables which can positively affect at-risk student populations when students start college. In conjunction with high school achievement, motivational variables such as locus of control and goal orientation are strong predictors of student success at a university. Students with a strong internal locus of control and reported goals towards mastering content tend to view themselves as responsible for their work and do well academically. Little research has examined the presence of these variables in high-achieving populations. Although it would seem that students would maintain their attributions for their own success throughout school, locus of …

Stress, Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, And Other Emotional Realities In The Lawyer/Client Relationship, Marjorie A. Silver, Sanford Portnoy, Jean Koh Peters

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Lawyering And Its Discontents: Reclaiming Meaning In The Practice Of Law, Marjorie A. Silver

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.