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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Predictors Of Termination Of Parental Rights Following Allegations Of Child Maltreatment, Joanna Marie Elmquist Dec 2014

Predictors Of Termination Of Parental Rights Following Allegations Of Child Maltreatment, Joanna Marie Elmquist

Masters Theses

Extant research has identified important risk factors for single and recurrent child maltreatment. Parental substance use, severe mental illness, and intimate partner violence (IPV) are among the risk factors significantly associated with child maltreatment. However, there is a paucity of research that examines whether empirically supported risk factors are significantly associated with psychologists’ assessments of parental fitness and courts’ decisions regarding reunification following allegations of child maltreatment. Thus, in an effort to elucidate the process through which reunification or termination of parental rights is achieved in cases of child maltreatment, the current study (1) examined the relative importance of different …


Testosterone, Dominance, And Depression In Recently Married Couples, Gabriela I. Quiñones-Torres Aug 2014

Testosterone, Dominance, And Depression In Recently Married Couples, Gabriela I. Quiñones-Torres

Masters Theses

Dominance refers to the wide set of behaviors individuals engage in with the intention of achieving or maintaining social status. Considering the relevance of these behaviors in the dynamics of close relationships, this study examined relations among testosterone, dominance, and the emotional health of a total of 225 opposite sex newlywed couples. An original measure of dominance was developed that accounted for both positive and negative manifestations, as well as situational and dispositional qualities of these status-promoting behaviors. Structural equation analyses revealed that dominance behaviors predict depression for both wives and husbands, and that positive and negative aspects of dominance …


Relationships Among Constructive Communication, Self-Efficacy, And Motivation In Latino Men Who Smoke: A Path Analysis, Alexander Malik Khaddouma Aug 2014

Relationships Among Constructive Communication, Self-Efficacy, And Motivation In Latino Men Who Smoke: A Path Analysis, Alexander Malik Khaddouma

Masters Theses

Previous authors have posited that the health and functioning of romantic relationships may play a role in individual partners’ motivation to engage in healthier behavioral patterns. This effect of romantic relationship functioning may be particularly applicable to Latino couples, given the cultural value of familismo (Galanti, 2003). Utilizing specific factors of Lewis and colleagues’ (2006) Interdependence Model, the present study tested a model of motivation for smoking cessation in which self-efficacy mediates the effect of perceived spousal constructive communication patterns on male partners’ motivation to quit smoking. The model was tested in a sample of 173 Latino couples who underwent …


The Effects Of Varying Duration Of Reinforcement On Novel Selection-Based Mands Versus Topgraphy-Based Mands, Nicholas S. Acker Aug 2014

The Effects Of Varying Duration Of Reinforcement On Novel Selection-Based Mands Versus Topgraphy-Based Mands, Nicholas S. Acker

Masters Theses

In recent years, researchers have evaluated individuals' preferences for different mand modalities and its effects on the acquisition of novel mands during functional con1munication training (i.e., FCT; e.g., Falcomata, Ringdahl, Christensen, & Boelter, 20 I 0). In many of these studies, the modality of responding that Michael ( 1985) classified as selection-based responding, is preferred by participants (e.g., Falcomata et al., 201 0). Wraikat, Sundberg, and Michael (1991) suggest that topography-based responses may be preferable for the acquisition of complex language. However, selection-based verbal responses may have faster acquisition in learning initial verbal operants (Charlop-Christy, Carpenter, Le, LeBlanc & Kellet, …


Internalized Oppression, Restricted Affection, And Psychological Distress In Asian And Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men, Nicholas S. Bishop Aug 2014

Internalized Oppression, Restricted Affection, And Psychological Distress In Asian And Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men, Nicholas S. Bishop

Masters Theses

Research on internalized oppression in intersecting identities remains vitally important for the mental health of minority individuals. This study investigates the mediating effect of restriction of affectionate behavior on the relationship between multiple oppressions (i.e, internalized racism, internalized heterosexism, and internalized sexism) and psychological distress in 172 Asian (n = 57) and Latino (n = 115) men who have sex with men. Data were collected using online snowball sampling via Facebook and listservs. Findings revealed that internalized racism and internalized heterosexism were related to psychological distress, and that restrictive affectionate behaviors with other men fully mediated these relationships. That is, …


Examining The Effects Of Communication And Acculturation On Relationship Satisfaction And Postpartum Depressive Symptomatology In Latino Couples, Jessica Andrea Hughes Aug 2014

Examining The Effects Of Communication And Acculturation On Relationship Satisfaction And Postpartum Depressive Symptomatology In Latino Couples, Jessica Andrea Hughes

Masters Theses

The present study builds on prior research that has evaluated the longitudinal association between relationship adjustment and depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period by focusing on a group of women at high risk for perinatal depression, in this case, Latinos. Most studies have evaluated the association between relationship functioning and depressive symptoms during the postpartum period. However, depression occurs as frequently during pregnancy as in the postpartum period (Evans et al., 2001) and has been shown to be an important predictor of postpartum depression (Milgrom et al., 2008) in Caucasian samples. Since poor communication has been linked to …


Combined Effects Of Mdma And Ethanol On Locomotor Activity And Place Conditioning In Male And Female Adolescent Sprague-Dawley Rats, Keli A. Herr Jun 2014

Combined Effects Of Mdma And Ethanol On Locomotor Activity And Place Conditioning In Male And Female Adolescent Sprague-Dawley Rats, Keli A. Herr

Masters Theses

MDMA, ("Ecstasy") is commonly abused in combination with ethanol (EtOH). Relatively few preclinical studies have investigated sex differences in animal models of polysubstance use. The current study employed a conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure to assess the behavioral effects of the co-administration ofMDMA /EtOH in 32 male and 32 female adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats. Following a 15 min habituation trial, eight 30-min conditioning trials were conducted in two- compartment chambers with different environmental cues. Before each drug conditioning trials, rats were administered intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of MDMA(6.6 mg/kg), EtOH (1.5 g/kg), MDMA (6.6 mg/kg) and EtOH (1.5 g/kg), or saline. Prior …


The Gender Of Participants In Published Research Involving People With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Erin Watkins Apr 2014

The Gender Of Participants In Published Research Involving People With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Erin Watkins

Masters Theses

Research articles involving participants with an autism spectrum disorder and published from 2010-2012 in Autism, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, and Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders were examined to determine the reported gender of participants. The overall male:female ratio was 4.62, which is similar to that reported in epidemiological studies, but the ratio was 6.07 in intervention studies. These findings suggesting that males were in a statistical sense over-represented in intervention studies, but not in other kinds of research. Most (82.21%) of these studies included both male and female participants, but …


Exploratory Factor Analysis Of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptom Clusters, Rachel A. Maxwell Jan 2014

Exploratory Factor Analysis Of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptom Clusters, Rachel A. Maxwell

Masters Theses

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a distressing condition that involves a preoccupation with a perceived defect(s) in appearance. Despite the importance of early identification, it is often misdiagnosed. The literature suggests that issues with diagnosis may be because BDD is typically defined by the single symptom of dysmorphic concern (i.e., over concern with an imagined or slight defect in physical appearance). Dysmorphic concern is insufficient to fully characterize the disturbance. This study used exploratory factor analysis to identify symptom clusters from four well-known BDD measures completed by 457 undergraduate students. The extracted content suggested the following symptoms: (a) Dysmorphic Concern, …


Does Parent Management Of Past Childhood Sibling Aggression Predict Young Adult Emotion Regulation? A Retrospective Study, Joseph P. Berry Jan 2014

Does Parent Management Of Past Childhood Sibling Aggression Predict Young Adult Emotion Regulation? A Retrospective Study, Joseph P. Berry

Masters Theses

Childhood sibling aggression and its influence on an individual's ability to regulate emotions later in life have not been extensively studied at this point in time. Prior research indicates that repeatedly being the victim of childhood aggression can lead to concurrent social, psychological, and emotional difficulties (Crick, Bigbee, & Howes, 1996). This study used a retrospective approach to explore whether 139 college students' experiences of overt and relational childhood sibling aggression are related to current difficulties with emotion regulation in young adulthood. Overt sibling aggression or relational sibling aggression in childhood predicted difficulties in current emotion regulation. Beliefs about the …


Conditional Goal-Setting As A Mediator In The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Well-Being, Adam De Fina Jan 2014

Conditional Goal-Setting As A Mediator In The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Well-Being, Adam De Fina

Masters Theses

Mindfulness is defined as the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). Current research on mindfulness has begun to focus on how mindfulness works by identifying the various mechanisms through which it facilitates well-being (e.g., Carmody, Baer, Lykins, & Olendzki, 2009; Coffey & Hartman, 2008; Hölzel et al., 2011). The present study examined if engaging less in conditional goal-getting (CGS) is one of the mechanisms of action of mindfulness. Conditional goal-setting (GCS) occurs when individuals have become highly committed to accomplishing certain concrete …


Differences In Mental Health Treatment Recommendations For Older And Younger Adults, Michelle M. Smith Jan 2014

Differences In Mental Health Treatment Recommendations For Older And Younger Adults, Michelle M. Smith

Masters Theses

Failure to meet geriatric mental health needs is increasingly problematic. Research indicates that the problem is not simply a matter of insufficient numbers of mental health practitioners (MHPs), but also ageist attitudes and lack of knowledge about and training with older adults. The current study reviews the literature regarding knowledge about older people, education and training that mental health professionals receive, and the attitudes that are held by mental health professionals. The study also assessed for differences in treatment recommendations that MHP made for older versus younger clients, investigated whether MHP knowledge about the mental health of older adults, attitudes …


Subjective Time And Mindfulness, Ian Lesueur Jan 2014

Subjective Time And Mindfulness, Ian Lesueur

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how time is subjectively experienced when one is being mindful or fully engaged in the present moment. Although attending to and being aware of the present moment is a defining feature of mindfulness (Brown & Ryan, 2003), there has been little research done concerning how time is experienced when being mindful. Thus, the present study examined the relationship between mindfulness and four different conceptions of the subjective experience of time: Time Perspective, Balanced Time Perspective, Temporal Focus, and Temporal Depth. One hundred and forty-two university students responded to …


Fear Of Negative And Positive Evaluation Across Social Evaluative Situations, Jarvis Howe Jan 2014

Fear Of Negative And Positive Evaluation Across Social Evaluative Situations, Jarvis Howe

Masters Theses

Fear of negative and fear of positive evaluation are both important in understanding social evaluative anxiety. Fear of negative evaluation has been linked with social anxiety, public speaking anxiety, and test anxiety; whereas fear of positive evaluation has only been linked with social anxiety. This paper reviews the literature on fear of negative and positive evaluation in relation to each of the social evaluative situations and then presents the findings of a study that will attempt to differentiate the three types of social evaluative situations. Fear of negative evaluation was correlated with each of the three social evaluative situations; whereas …


Emotional Intelligence, Coping Styles, And Psychopathology, Letizia Boin Jan 2014

Emotional Intelligence, Coping Styles, And Psychopathology, Letizia Boin

Masters Theses

Despite its relatively recent origins, Emotional Intelligence (EI), which is the ability to perceive, understand, and manage one's emotions, has been shown to contribute to a variety of outcomes, including academic achievement and relationship satisfaction. Considerable support has been gathered to implicate EI in the development of mental illness such as depression and social anxiety. It has been theorized that a potential pathway in which EI affects mental health is by contributing to the development of coping styles. Stress and coping literature reports enough empirical evidence to suggest that broadly speaking, problem-focused coping is 'adaptive' while avoidant coping is 'maladaptive.' …


The Effects Of A Pro-Eating Disorder Website Across Different Races, Lucrecia Ann Lawer Jan 2014

The Effects Of A Pro-Eating Disorder Website Across Different Races, Lucrecia Ann Lawer

Masters Theses

This study sought to examine the effects of viewing a Pro-Eating disorder website and how the effects of this website vary across women of different races, what impact the website's racial content has, and what impact the ethnic identity of the participant has on the negative effects of viewing the website. In order to examine the effect of website content, two different Pro-Eating disorder websites were used - one containing images of Black women and one with images of Caucasian women. 93 Black and Caucasian female undergraduate students were recruited to participate in the research study, and the women viewed …


Help-Seeking Attitudes In India: The Role Of Religion, Intergroup Anxiety, Collective Self-Esteem, & Emotional Intelligence, Ashlee M. Beck Jan 2014

Help-Seeking Attitudes In India: The Role Of Religion, Intergroup Anxiety, Collective Self-Esteem, & Emotional Intelligence, Ashlee M. Beck

Masters Theses

The present study examined religious differences in help-seeking attitudes, intergroup anxiety, collective self-esteem, and emotional intelligence in Hindus and non-Hindus in India. Data were collected from 55 participants, who were predominantly students at either University of Mumbai or St. John's College Agra. Of these participants, 38 were Hindu and 17 were non-Hindu. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Inventory of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services, the Intergroup Anxiety Scale, the Collective Self-Esteem Scale, and the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test. Statistical analyses were computed using t tests for independent means, correlational analyses, and descriptive statistics. The results of these …


The Effects Of Existential Salience On State Anxiety, Joseph Morger Jan 2014

The Effects Of Existential Salience On State Anxiety, Joseph Morger

Masters Theses

Existential anxiety is theorized to result from one's knowledge of human existence. Four givens of life have been identified that result in existential anxiety: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness (Yalom, 1980). Terror management theory purposes the knowledge of one's own death to be a great source of distress. The theory posits that to cope with these distressing thoughts, one is motivated to adhere to a cultural worldview. Adhering to a cultural worldview allows one to view the world as a structured place, in addition to raising one's self-esteem. Terror management research has shown that making mortality salient results in harsher …


Personality Traits And Character Strengths As Predictors Of Well-Being, Carissa Johnsen Jan 2014

Personality Traits And Character Strengths As Predictors Of Well-Being, Carissa Johnsen

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how character strengths (i.e., positive characteristics about a person that can be developed) can predict subjective well-being above and beyond personality. Although the relationship between personality and well-being is well-understood, there is little research done comparing personality and character strengths and how character strengths may provide added value in predicting subjective well-being. Thus, the present study sought to examine whether character strengths will predict subjective well-being above and beyond personality. Two-hundred and thirty seven participants responded to scales measuring each person's personality traits, character strengths, satisfaction with life, …


Exploration Of The Relationship Between Schizotypal Traits And Well-Being, James Ciulla Jan 2014

Exploration Of The Relationship Between Schizotypal Traits And Well-Being, James Ciulla

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the construct of schizotypy and whether or not it may have benefits within different conceptions of psychological health, or well-being. Schizotypy is a construct that emerged around the turn of the 20th century. It had historically incorporated aspects later reclassified under other areas of dysfunction, or relegated to social value judgment, and is currently the cause of some debate in the field (Acar & Sen, 2013; Carson, 2011; Farias, Underwood & Claridge, 2013; Kendler, 1985; Tsakanikos & Claridge, 2005; Vollema & van den Bosch, 1995). There has been little research done on …


A Retrospective Study Of The Link Between Maternal Social Anxiety And College-Student Social Anxiety: Mediating The Role Of Maternal Cognitions & Behaviors, Kyung Won Kim Jan 2014

A Retrospective Study Of The Link Between Maternal Social Anxiety And College-Student Social Anxiety: Mediating The Role Of Maternal Cognitions & Behaviors, Kyung Won Kim

Masters Theses

Parental social anxiety is a well-established risk factor for child social anxiety. In addition to being passed along genetically, parental anxiety seems to be transmitted partially via environmental factors, such as parental cognitions and behaviors that convey negative expectations toward the child. This paper reviews the current literature linking maternal social anxiety, maternal cognitions, and offspring social anxiety. Using a retrospective design, a mediated model, examining the association between maternal social anxiety and later offspring social anxiety, with maternal cognitions and behaviors during childhood as a mediator was tested. Consistent with the hypothesis, maternal fear of negative evaluation served as …