Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mental Health In Sports Media, Samuel Ridgley

Communication & Media Studies | Senior Theses

This paper looks at the increasingly popular conversation surrounding mental health in sports. It provides a glimpse into how common the struggle of mental health can be for many high-level athletes while also examining the narrative and expectations that society and the media have created. The paper also provides examples of prominent athletes from a variety of different sports and delves into their personal mental health experiences in the eyes of the media. The goal of this paper is to show the progression and change of how the media portrays mental health amongst athletes in today’s ever-changing world.

Screen Time And The Psychological Well-Being Of U.S. Teenagers: An Exploratory Re-Analysis Of Data From The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Russell Miller

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Numerous studies, notably secondary analyses of survey data, have examined the possibility of adverse effects from teenagers' use of digital screen-based media--with correspondingly diverse findings. One research group in particular, led by Jean M. Twenge, has been prolific and forceful in associating adolescents’ screen time with reported increases in depression, suicidal ideation, and attempted suicide. Others have pointed to small effect sizes, construct validity issues, and other methodological problems in the Twenge research. However, one characteristic of the group's analyses of survey data, including data from the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), has remained unexplored: the use of metric …

Depression And Anxiety Amongst College D1 Athletes, Jessica Radford

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

College student-athletes are having an increasingly amount of mental health concerns recently at an alarming rate. Therefore, researchers should attempt to better understand how student-athletes can cope with their mental health problems to improve their mental and physical well-being. The researcher administered a questionnaire to 300 college students, 150 student-athletes and 150 non-athletes from the University of the Pacific using various modified scales examining emotional intelligence, depression, anxiety, coping strategies, intentions to seek help, self-stigma, public stigma, social network stigma, alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, and communication competence. The data were analyzed to determine the severity of student-athletes’ mental health and …

The Power Of Video Games: How Celeste And Hellblade Address Mental Health, Victor M. Ortiz

Communication Studies

The media has the power to educate audiences on topics through effective storytelling. This paper shows how video games as a medium possess unique potential to affect players through interactive experiences. Two video games titled Celeste and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice serve as examples of social cognitive learning through media exposure. This paper conducts a content analysis on the two titles. From the analysis, we learn the stories in Celeste and Hellblade aim to help those who play them learn how to cope with mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. The literature review section discusses past research done on …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Covid-19 On Students At The University Of Mississippi: Family, Careers, Mental Health, Hannah Newbold

Honors Theses

This study analyzes the effects of COVID-19 on students at the University of Mississippi. For students, COVID-19 changed the landscape of education, with classes and jobs going online. Students who graduated in May 2020 entered a poor job market and many ended up going to graduate school instead of finding a job. Access to medical and professional help was limited at the very beginning, with offices not taking patients or moving appointments to virtual only. This would require that each student needing help had to have access to quality internet service, which wasn’t always guaranteed, thus producing additional challenges.

These …

Increasing Bullying Awareness In Middle Schools, Crystal Rocha

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Bullying is a repetitive behavior of mistreatment towards someone less powerful than you. This includes to be verbal, physical, and social. This issue is very common in schools, but students don't get enough knowledge from this behavior to be able to change or help others.

An Examination Of Communication Sequencing In Enacted Support Interactions For People With Major Depressive Disorder, Madison Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Social support is integral to helping one manage Major Depressive Disorder [MDD], but enacted social support, or the supportive behavior itself, is not always beneficial. Using a normative theoretical perspective on social support and theory related to sequencing as guiding frameworks, in this thesis I examined common sequential patterns of enacted support between support providers and individuals with MDD. Moreover, I investigated how individuals with MDD evaluated the helpfulness of each of the different sequential patterns. To examine the sequential patterns and how individuals with MDD evaluated their helpfulness, I interviewed 20 participants who had been diagnosed with MDD. The …

Younger Hmong People’S Willingness To Communicate About Depression, Wa Yang

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This research examines the underlying issues about mental illness, particularly depression within the Hmong community. Previous scholars have focused on the Hmong culture’s origins, mental health status of Hmong refugees arriving in the United States, martial roles and mental health on Hmong females, and comparisons of Hmong traditional healing and Westernized medicine. These studies intersect in fields including psychology, medicine and public health, Hmong history, and social work. However, one missing component to this body of scholarship has been communication. Thus, my study focused on younger Hmong people’s willingness to communicate about depression within their families. Specifically, I conducted semi-structured …

"Do N'T Stop Believin'"In A Pair Of Socks: How The Sopranos Shapes Our Understanding Of Mental Illness, Adam Richard Brockman

Theses and Dissertations

This study rhetorically analyzed the final season of The Sopranos for its argument about

the nature of psychological depression in several contexts and forms. Consisting of nine

episodes, the final season of the series features pivotal moments in which characters confront the

sources of their depression and respond to them in a variety of ways. The study used both an

intertextual analysis and Burkean frames to provide insight into how the final season argues one

might overcome various forms of depression. It specifically considered depression related to

one’s family experiences, their existential concerns regarding death and spirituality, and their

indulgence …

A Study Of Family Communication & The College Experience: A Comparison Between U.S. & Global Students, Iulia V. Popescu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigates the role that family communication patterns may play in predicting student experiences by looking at the experiences of native United States and international college students. Experiences in college are shaped by various factors including self-efficacy, stress, loneliness and depression. Data were collected from a sample of 152 students – 90 being U.S. natives studying at UCF and 62 being international students studying at UCF. Results indicated that conversation orientation, or a more open-conversation household, was positively linked with higher academic self-efficacy and negatively linked with stress, mainly for U.S. students. Conformity orientation, or a less open-conversation household, …

To Meme, Or Not To Meme: Applying The Theory Of Motivated Information Management To The Provision Of Support After Depressed Individuals Share Suicidal Memes, Jacki Paige Willenborg

Theses and Dissertations

Social media sites are increasingly where individuals seek and share information on a range of topics. The focus of this thesis is on suicidal memes and how individuals interpret them. Suicidal memes are memes that suggest suicide through either text or visual images. No research has investigated interpretations of suicidal memes to date as well as why individuals post them. It is important to study such issues as the interpretations of these memes can mean the difference between depressed individuals, for example, receiving the help they need or those same individuals alienating themselves from their loved ones. Informed by the …

Slam Poetry: An Online Intervention For Treating Depression, Spencer J. Ruchti, Mercedes Becker, Cara Mckee, Austin Herron, Alex Swalling

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Given that depression is the “leading cause of disability worldwide,” and that less than 50% of people suffering from depression receive treatment, this study aims to provide support for a globally accessible depression treatment (WHO, 2012). The study conducted implemented an internet-based treatment for depression in which users were provided an opportunity to watch slam poetry videos related to mental health issues and write free responses regarding the content of the videos and their subjective experience of depression. Numerous studies provide support for the effectiveness of expressive writing, online mental health interventions, and slam poetry in particular for reducing symptoms …

Let’S Chat: Willingness To Communicate And The Development Of A Destigmatizing Campaign, Ethan D. Smith

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Abstract

Low treatment rates for depression are commonly observed among young adults of typical college age in particular. Fear of social judgement makes stigma a commonly identified barrier to depression treatment. What is unclear is how the willingness of university students to communicate about depression may influence or be influenced by stigma. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Health Belief Model, the present thesis investigates the stigma attitudes of students toward depression, as well as their willingness to communicate about depression. To do this, an online survey was conducted with depression stigma scales and adapted willingness to …

“She Can Be A Superhero, But She Needs Her Day Off”: Exploring Discursive Constructions Of Motherhood And Depression In Emerging Adult Talk Surrounding Maternal Depression, Leah Seurer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite studies demonstrating the impact of health on the family and the family on members’ health, research exploring this intersection remains scant in both family communication and health communication. This study explores the nexus of health and family by examining constructions of motherhood and depression in emerging adult talk surrounding maternal depression. Using relational dialectics theory as the theoretical lens, the study examined talk collected in 36 one-on-one interviews with emerging adults asked to describe their experiences of having a mother with depression. Participant talk surrounding motherhood voiced two primary discourses of motherhood: (1) the discourse of real mother …

Impact Of Computer-Mediated Communication Duration On Adolescent Social Self-Efficacy, Social Anxiety, And Depression, Melaney Laine Davis-Mcshan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research suggests that Internet and cell phone overuse may result in lower levels of social skills and encourage isolation from peers. Less clear is whether the duration of computer-mediated communication (CMC) influences adolescent perception of their social skills competency or emotional health. This research was guided by the social cognitive theory, which suggests that social self-efficacy (SSE), the belief that they have the skills to engage successfully with others in conversation and social activities, develops from mastery experiences that regulate thought, motivation, and action. This quantitative cross-sectional survey design utilized a convenience sample of 49 adolescents ages 11-19, living in …

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 …

Don’T Worry, I Am Fine: A Qualitative Analysis Of Family Communication And Depression In Chinese International Students In The Us, Lan Jin

Open Access Theses

Depression and associated mental health problems are increasingly a critical health issue for Chinese international students in the U.S. (Lyubomirsky, Kasri, & Zehm, 2003; Cheung, 2011; Liu, 2009). Recent studies in different U.S. universities found a 32% to 47% rate for depression symptoms among Chinese international students (Cheung, 2011; Wei et al., 2007). The statistics suggest that Chinese students face a high prevalence of depression problems (Han et al., 2013). To address the depression problems, family communication provides substantial support for Chinese students (Liu, 2009). However, little is known about family communicative practices of this population (Wei et al., 2010). …

Depression, Social Anxiety, And Attachment As Predictors Of The Use And Quality Of Cyber Communication, Stefan E. Latulip

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the influence of depression symptoms, social anxiety symptoms, and adult attachment style on the use and the perceptions of the quality of cyber communications with close friends, romantic partners, and family members. One hundred thirty-five individuals completed an initial survey, with sixty five of the original group completing a follow-up survey five weeks later. Results indicated that anxious attachment was associated with a greater reported usage of social networking sites, whereas avoidant attachment predicted less instant message use over time. Depression symptoms and avoidant attachment were generally associated with perceptions of higher negativity and lower positivity with …

Kicking The Can, Peter Ellis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Kicking the Can is a video documentary that explores the financial crisis of 2008 and the socio-political factors that led to the collapse. The documentary was produced over the course of a year and a half, and contains interviews with economists, politicians, academics, and U.S. citizens. Kicking the Can ultimately reveals that the financial crisis is a complex issue that can be analyzed and interpreted from a variety of political and social perspectives. This paper documents the making of the film, the production involved, and the process of working with collaborators and other crewmates.

Love Out Loud Campaign: The Use Of Public Relations In A Suicide Prevention Program, Rachel Helen Egan

Journalism

Each year at Cal Poly, the student community loses at least one student to suicide; many more suffer from depression and its effects. The students who started the Love Out Loud Campaign saw a need for awareness about the aforementioned topics. The campaign raises awareness about depression and its effects, as well as attempts to change the stigma associated with the issue. This paper addresses the need for student initiated suicide prevention campaigns on college campuses, as well as the ways in which the field of public relations can be utilized in said campaigns. The importance of depression awareness is …