Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Speaking From Places: A Phenomenological Deconstructive Study Of Children’S Places, Child-Centric Methods, And Politics., Sugandh Dixit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation adopts an innovative phenomenological and deconstructive methodology to create a child-centric research process sensitive to facilitating, integrating, and representing children’s voices in designing their school playground. The study developed and employed two novel child-centric methods, an Embedded Walk and a Communal Child-Map Project in order to integrate parents’ and children’s experiences of the school spaces the authorities planned to renovate. Both methods reveal and complicate the socio-political dynamics that structure children’s, parents’, and researchers’ stances towards children’s places and worlds. During the Embedded Walk, children led their parents through their play spaces and they collaboratively documented the childrens’ …

Gaze Patterns Of Social And Nonsocial Stimuli: A Possible Early Marker For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Ashley Rose Doll

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The push for early identification and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has led to new developments in this area of research. Eye tracking is a promising behavioral screening measure that has been heavily investigated for over a decade. Differences in eye gaze between typically developing (TD) children and children with ASD when viewing social and nonsocial videos have been observed, but only within videos of children playing as social stimuli and with geometric shapes as nonsocial stimuli (Pierce et al., 2016; Shaffer et al., 2017). In addition to social stimuli and geometric shapes, the current study expanded on previous …

The Role Of Dialect Words In Children’S Social Decisions, Madison Rose Myers-Burg

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent research suggests that young children are capable of distinguishing between phonetically dissimilar spoken accents, yet have difficulty distinguishing between phonetically similar accents (Wagner, Clopper, & Pate, 2013). The present study aimed to determine whether the presence of dialect-specific vocabulary enhances young children’s ability to categorize speakers. Participants completed four training trials in which they were familiarized with photos of two children: one of whom used American English labels for test objects and one of whom used British English labels. After training trials, participants completed eight test trials in which they were asked to infer which target child would use …

Structural Model Of Child Routines And Self-Regulation In Relation To Parenting And Externalizing Behavior Problems In Young Children, Lovina R. Bater

Dissertations

The relationship between parenting practices and externalizing behavior problems in preschool children is well established; however, the mechanisms that explain this relationship are less understood. It is suggested that the structure and predictability created by child routines allow children the opportunity to become aware of and learn to regulate their behaviors accordingly, yet only a couple of studies have examined this relationship. Therefore, this study examined competing models (i.e., direct, indirect, and serial mediation models) to help determine which model captures the relationship between the variables of interest. It was hypothesized that each model would have good model fit but …

Chronic Life Stress And Change In Stress Response Functioning In Urban Youth: The Role Of Social Support And Gender, Heather M. Marshall

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) has been established as a bio-marker of stress reactivity in acute stressor tasks. Much less research exists exploring whether sAA is bio-marker for chronic stress exposure, and therefore, allostatic load. Extant research is inconsistent with some evidence to support chronic stress exposure having an impact on sAA reactivity and diurnal levels of sAA, while other studies have failed to support this theory. Social support is regarded as a protective factor against stress, mental health, and physical health consequences. It has been suggested that gender may play a role in the utilization and benefits of social support networks. …

Overcoming Exposure To Complex Stressors: An Examination Of Protective Coping Mechanisms For Low-Income Urban African American Youth, Molly Cory

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Low-income urban African American youth experience multiple uncontrollable stressors (e.g. community violence) that may then impact the severity of controllable stressors (e.g. school stressors) and combine to produce negative life outcomes. In light of these negative outcomes, it is important to understand individual protective factors, and the coping response in particular. Past research has emphasized the advantages of primary control engagement coping, but recent evidence suggests that low-income urban African American youth facing complex and uncontrollable stressors may benefit more from disengagement strategies in response to uncontrollable stressors. Although it is expected this population would additionally benefit from applying engagement …

Mass Incarceration And Adolescent Development: Connecting Identity And Trauma In Black Adolescent Males, Michelle E. Chen

Child Development Theses

Mass incarceration has been described as the new form of slavery and systemic racism in the United States. In this thesis, it is explored as the main societal cause of the disproportionate representation of black individuals in jails and prisons, disrupting black communities and destroying the lives of so many black youth. Specific policies are discussed and identified as direct links to the growth of incarceration and the criminalization of black youth, particularly black adolescent males. While numerous studies have revealed the dangers of incarceration and the increased risk of recidivism for justice involved youth, little research has been done …

More Than Adversity: Poverty As A Source Of Potential Trauma In Children And Adolescents, Coreen Knowles

Child Development Theses

Poverty has long been understood to be detrimental to developing children. While is it commonly viewed solely as a risk factor for experiencing other traumas, I argue here that poverty should be seen as a traumatic factor in and of itself. To support this claim, I explore several systemic and individual aspects of living in poverty which can cause significant harm to children and adolescents. Topics addressed include housing, foster care, stress as a mediator of parenting, and chronic and toxic stress in children. I also address the effects of poverty on social workers and the practical implications of viewing …

Home Learning In The New Mobile Age: Parent-Child Interactions During Joint Play With Educational Apps, Shayl Griffith

Doctoral Dissertations

The rapidly increasing popularity of touch screen mobile devices, and accompanying educational applications (“apps”) targeted towards preschool children, calls for a new look at parent-child interactions around educational media. Research has shown that parental involvement in children’s educational media exposure can improve engagement and learning outcomes. However, to date little information is available on how parents navigate their children’s use of educational mobile technology, or how similar or different these interactions are to more commonly studied parent-child interactions, such as around shared reading. This study described, using observational data, parent-child interactions around educational apps and mobile devices in a sample …

The Efficacy Of School Implemented Cognitive Behavioral Therapy To Reduce Adolescent Anxiety, Madeline N. Michelsen

Selected Honors Theses

Adolescent anxiety is a growing problem which affects millions of children every year. There are a myriad of factors which produce adolescent anxiety such as excessive stress, adverse childhood experiences, and chemical imbalances amongst many other factors. An emerging therapy to treat mental health disorders, such as anxiety, is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) which teaches participants how to correct maladaptive thought patterns to develop resilience. Cognitive behavior therapy has produced positive results for reducing symptoms of anxiety and other mental health disorders in both adolescents and adults. Due to its unparalleled student access, schools have the unique opportunity to develop …

Adults’ Perceptions Of Children With Mental Illness Labels Who Tell Truths And Lies, Jessica Lynn Mccurdy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examined whether children’s truth- and lie-telling is perceived differently by adults when the children have mental illness labels (MIL). Participants (N= 432) read a vignette and watched a video from each of four veracity/motivation (i.e., prosocial truth, antisocial truth, prosocial lie, antisocial lie) and child label (i.e., control, ADHD, depression, asthma) conditions. After each video/vignette combination, participants rated their impressions of and responses towards the child. Participants also completed measures of their implicit and explicit attitudes towards mental illness. The results indicated participants had more negative perceptions of children they rated higher on dangerousness and lower …

Parent Childhood Abuse And Neglect And Offspring Mental Health: An Examination Of Potential Mediators, Joanna Young

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Child maltreatment has been associated with difficulties in parenting (Bailey, DeOliveira, Wolfe, Evans, & Hartwick, 2012) and children of abused mothers have been found to be at risk of more negative emotional and behavioral mental health outcomes compared to children of mothers with no abuse history (Collishaw, Dunn, O’Connor, & Golding, 2007; Delker, Noll, Kim, & Fisher, 2014). However, research is limited in terms of studies that investigate mediators in the relationship between parental abuse and child psychopathology. In addition, the majority of past research has focused only on self-reported, maternal histories of abuse and on limited offspring outcomes (i.e. …

The Intergenerational Transmission Of Mentalization: How Parental Reflective Function On The Parent Development Interview Relates To Child Mentalization On The Thematic Apperception Test, Kira Boesch

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mentalization is defined as the metacognitive ability to think about one’s own and other’s thoughts and feelings, with the goal of comprehending behavior (Benbassat & Priel, 2012). Mentalization is associated with secure attachment, and is both directly and indirectly linked to multiple social and emotional outcomes. This study looked at the correlation between parent and child mentalization as a means of exploring the impact of parent reflectiveness on children’s’ mentalization capacities.

Methods: This study utilized archival data collected at The Psychological Center, a community mental health clinic at the City College of New York. The sample consisted of 15 parent-child …

Executive Functioning In Pediatric Youth: A Meta-Analysis, Draycen D. Decator

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Executive functioning (EF) represents a set of cognitive skills that are important for daily functioning. EF can be influenced by a number of biopsychosocial factors, many of which are present in the pediatric population (i.e., youth with at least one medical condition). It is important to understand EF in this population as it affects aspects of their physical health (e.g., treatment adherence). Previous meta-analyses have been conducted to examine EF in the pediatric population, and they have generally found deficits in EF compared to healthy peers. However, these previous meta-analyses have only focused on specific medical conditions (e.g., pediatric youth …

Biological Stress Response And Cognitive Vulnerability To Depression In Adolescence, Bridget M. Brush

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Depression is the leading cause of worldwide disability. Rates of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) increase exponentially over the adolescent transition, suggesting adolescence represents a key period of risk for the onset of depression. Previous research has associated both biological stress response and cognitive vulnerability with symptoms of depression; however, there is little research examining the joint effects of these two risk factors and symptoms of depression, especially during adolescence. The present study examined the association between symptoms of depression and two established risk factors for depression: cognitive vulnerability, as measured by negative cognitive style, and biological stress response, as measured …

Examining Links Between Social Anxiety And Relational Aggression In Adolescence: The Influence Of Rumination And Anger, Shannon L. Brothers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social anxiety is linked to more covert forms of aggressive behavior, particularly reactive and relational aggression in early adolescent and young adult samples. Adolescents with social anxiety and those who engage in reactive relational aggression are also more likely to have difficulties regulating emotions (e.g., anger) and show maladaptive cognitive coping styles (e.g., rumination). The goal of the present study was to assess the relationship between social anxiety and reactive relational aggression in adolescents (14-17 years), combining the form and function of aggression, and to examine trait anger and anger rumination as underlying factors that may explain the relationship between …

The Efficacy Of Equine Assisted Therapy In The Treatment Of Autism Spectrum Disorders, Amy Hofmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effects of equine-assisted psychotherapies in children with an autism spectrum disorder. The CARS-2 and Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire parent-report questionnaires were used for evaluation, as well open-ended questions. A single researcher contacted and visited many PATH-certified centers in the United States. Facilities that participated were all located in the Mid-Atlantic to Northeast region. There were 16 participants, from 11 different farms, that completed both the initial and follow-up questionnaires which were given 7 weeks apart. A $25 Amazon gift card was used as an incentive to increase participation. Participating facilities also completed a questionnaire.

Overall, results …

Bivariate Latent Change Score Analysis Of Peer Relations From Early Childhood To Adolescence: Leading Or Lagging Indicators Of Psychopathology, Brent Ian Rappaport

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite significant public health concerns, the association between problematic peer relations (e.g., bullying) and psychopathology remains unclear. Thus far research has suggested three possible models of this association: that peer relations lead, or are a risk factor for symptoms of psychopathology (interpersonal risk model); lag, or are a consequence of psychopathology (interpersonal scar model); or both lead and lag psychopathology (transactional model). We additionally propose and test the hypothesis that peer relations may be a leading or lagging indicator of psychopathology depending on the developmental period (developmental model). Measures of youth’s peer relations (as reported by a parent and teacher …

Examining Child Sex As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Cortisol Reactivity And Symptoms Over Time, Andrew R. Daoust

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Females’ reactivity to stress appears to be closely tied to internalizing symptoms, while males who are under-reactive may be at risk for externalizing problems. Little is known about when such differences emerge, despite possible implications for early prevention. Cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stressor was assessed in 409 three-year-old children along with children’s parent-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms, which were re-collected at child ages 5 and 8. Multilevel modelling was used to investigate whether the relationship between cortisol reactivity and symptoms differed between boys and girls longitudinally. Over time, girls with lower cortisol reactivity showed a decrease in depressive symptoms …

Parental Stress, Anxiety, And Depression And Child Emotional Intelligence In Children With 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, Megan A. Goldfarb

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) have serious medical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms that are stressful to their parents. Higher general intelligence quotients (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EI) in children could allay parental stress. Self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression were measured in parents of children with 22q11.2DS (n=42) and a healthy control group (n=20) in relation to children’s IQ and EI. Children with 22q1.2DS had lower IQ and EI scores. Parental groups did not differ in their reported stress, anxiety, or depression. Children’s IQ and EI levels did not relate to parental measures of affect even in the 22q11.2DS …

Deception From Parents To Romantic Partners, Xiaoti Fan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Deception plays an important role in every type of relationship, particularly for the two most intimate relationships: parent-child and romantic. People usually learn behaviors and communication strategies from their parents and enforce or adjust them in other types of relationships based on various personal as well as social influences. The purpose of this study is to examine the strategies and motives young adults use with their parents and romantic partners when they convey deceptive messages, and explore how people apply patterns of deception from their parent-child relationships to their romantic relationships. In this study, two aspects of deceptive behavior are …

A Multimodal Assessment Of Disgust In Response To Traumatic Event Reminders Among Adolescents, Teah-Marie R. Bynion

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The majority of youth will report traumatic event exposure by the time they reach adulthood. Research suggests exposure to such events is linked to myriad negative outcomes. Not all traumatic events are alike, however; evidence suggests that, compared to non-interpersonal events, interpersonal events in which another person intentionally perpetrates harm are linked to elevations in the likelihood of negative outcomes, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One reason for this discrepancy is that interpersonal traumatic events may elicit greater levels of disgust. However, this is a very under-developed research base, no study has examined this question among youth. The current study …

Examining The Temporal Directionality Between Teaching Behavior And Affect In High School Students., Bridget Cauley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous empirical studies demonstrate a cross-sectional association between teaching behaviors and students’ positive and negative affect and depressive symptoms. However, only one study comprised only of middle school students has examined the temporal direction of these associations, meaning the temporal direction of associations for high school students remains unclear. Therefore, this two-wave study with high school students investigated the temporal direction of the associations between teaching behaviors and students’ positive and negative affect. Participating students from one public high school (N = 188; 88.8% White; 69.7% female) completed the Teaching Behavior Questionnaire and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect …

An Attachment-Based Group Intervention, Shannon Dillon

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed method study aimed to understand and describe the effectiveness of an intervention and the experiences of mothers raising their children in a transitional living home. This was achieved through interviewing four mothers in Gilead House. Initially, participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale (DASS-21), the Trauma History Screening (THS), the Adolescent Adult Parenting Inventory-2 (AAPI-2) and a demographics form. The first interview was also completed. Interview questions were based on the Working Model of the Child Interview (WCMI). Following this time 1 meeting an attachment-based group intervention was utilized for eight weeks. This intervention was based on …

Girls’ Internalizing Symptoms And White Matter Tracts In Cortico-Limbic Circuitry, Ola Mohamed Ali

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Dysfunction in cortico-limbic circuitry is implicated in internalizing disorders, but less is known about whether structural abnormalities precede disorder, thus potentially marking risk. I therefore examined associations between white matter tract integrity in cortico-limbic circuitry at age 7, obtained using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, and concurrent and longitudinal patterns of internalizing symptoms, over a 5-year period, in 42 typically developing girls. Using Automated Fiber Quantification, diffusion properties were examined at multiple points along tract length (cf., an average diffusion measure of the entire tract). Concurrent internalizing symptoms were associated with reduced fractional anisotropy in segments of the cingulum bundle and uncinate …

Relating Sensory Sensitivity And Repetitive Behaviours In Autism Spectrum Disorders, Samantha E. Schulz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The heterogenous expression of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) complicates our etiological understanding of the disorder. By focusing on the most commonly-reported symptom of ASD, namely sensory processing dysfunction, this project attempts to determine the underlying factors of autism-related restricted interests and repetitive behaviours (RRBs). The specific aims of this project are to examine the relationship between sensory sensitivity and RRBs and to compare current questionnaire measures of sensory processing issues to more objective measures, specifically, a psychophysical behavioural task of visual sensitivity. A positive relationship was found between sensitivity and RRBs in both autistic children and their TD peers. Furthermore, …

Virtual Child-Rearing: An Examination Of Positive Parenting Practices Through The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Athena Christou

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) evaluates attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control toward a specific behavior as a way to predict intentions to perform a given behavior. Increase in intentions is said to increase the accuracy of predictions of the actual performance of that behavior. The theory has received considerable support and has been used to predict a wide array of behaviors. In the present study, the MyVirtualChild© program was used to examine positive parenting practices through the TPB constructs. Twenty-two participants completed the study and were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 12) or control group …

Family Functioning In Latino Families Of Children With Adhd: The Role Of Parental Gender And Acculturation, Anne Malkoff

Master's Theses (2009 -)

It has been well established that parents of children with ADHD report significantly higher levels of parenting stress (Heath, Curtis, Fan, & McPherson, 2015) and chaos in the home (Wirth et al., 2017) than parents of children without ADHD. Parents of children with ADHD also report feeling less efficacious in their parenting abilities compared to parents of children without ADHD (Primack et al., 2012). To date, a majority of the literature on ADHD has focused on European American children and families, resulting in a paucity of research and clinical practice with ethnic minority families of youth with ADHD, specifically among …

The Impact Of Violence On The Emerging Development Of Emotion Regulation: The Role Of The Caregiver, Christina Caiozzo

Dissertations (1934 -)

Caregivers teach children how to navigate an emotional world (Thompson, 1994), and children’s ability to manage emotional reactions underlies their mental health as well as their social and academic performance (Zeman, Cassano, Perry-Parish, & Stegall, 2006). However, children who experience adverse life events are at risk for impaired development of emotion regulation (Maughan & Cicchetti, 2002). Little is known about how parents of at-risk youth can continue to foster healthy development of emotion regulation for their children. Therefore, the current study aims to identify specific parenting practices that promote adaptive emotion regulation in at-risk preschoolers. Multi-method, multi-informant data were collected …

Examining The Sex Ratio In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Maya N. Matheis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The higher prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among males compared to females is well documented but poorly understood. The ASD sex ratio may provide valuable insight into the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of the disorder. A review of studies examining the prevalence in ASD published in the last 5 years was conducted, revealing a mean male/female (M/F) ratio of 4. Literature examining the ASD sex ratio in relation to risk factors and associated features of ASD was also summarized. The study aimed to examine the ASD sex ratio and its association to various risk factors among an early intervention sample. …