Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Transgender Self-Attitudes: Formation And Change A Qualitative Study, Juliet Ezhil Meggs

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study explored attitudes of transgender people about being transgender and how these attitudes had formed and changed over participants’ lifetimes. Using a qualitative, grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2003), interviews with 11 transgender adults were coded and analyzed. Two primary categories of attitudes were identified: participant attitudes regarding acceptability of being transgender and attitudes regarding how possible they believed it is to be transgender and/or transition genders. Early in life, most participants had little exposure to the idea of being transgender, and those that knew of it often initially believed that it would too difficult or impossible to transition. …

Ethnic Discrimination And Psychological Distress Among Middle Eastern/Arab Americans: The Roles Of Religiosity, Coping, Ethnic Identity, And Family Connectedness, Ayse Selin Ikizler

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite increased public attention in the past decade towards the Middle East and Arab world, only a small but growing body of research literature investigating the mental health of individuals with ethnic background originating in these countries exists. Given the major stigma associated with being Middle Eastern/Arab (MEA) in the United States, the mental health-related implications for MEA Americans is of particular interest in the present study. Specifically, we investigated (1) the moderating role of religiosity in the link between religious affiliation and ethnic discrimination and (2) potential mediators (coping via internalization, detachment, and drugs/alcohol) and moderators (ethnic identity and …

Native American Young Adults In Their Transition To College, And Persistence Through The First Year, Adrian Alexander Rodriguez

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation study focused on a mixed-methods exploration of Native American students’ perceptions of risks and protective factors as they transitioned to college at a predominately White institution (PWI), and navigated through their first year. Due to low numbers of Native Americans at PWIs, individuals have described feeling invisible, which negatively impacts their ethnic identity development, sense of belonging, wellbeing, and retention in college. Factors involving respect, positive relationships, cultural affirmation, and resiliency are associated with success and retention for Native American students.

A mixed-methods model, guided by grounded theory and principles of social justice advocacy provided a reflection on …

Internalized Heterosexism, Religious Coping, And Psychache In Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Young Adults, Jon Raymond Bourn

Doctoral Dissertations

Psychache, or unbearable psychological pain (Shneidman, 1993, 1999), has been found to be the most proximal predictor of suicidality. There is evidence that heterosexism (Crain-Gully, 2011), including internalized heterosexism (IH; Bourn & Miles, 2015), is related to psychache among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals. The current study sought to further examine the relationship between IH and psychache, by identifying potential factors that moderate and mediate the relationship between IH and psychache. It was hypothesized that, in a sample of religiously-identified LGB young adults, (a) IH would be significantly, negatively correlated with positive religious coping (PRC) and significantly, positively correlated …

Conformity To Masculine Norms: A Case-Based Time-Series Analysis Of Men In Intergroup Dialogue, Isaac Curtiss Brandt

Doctoral Dissertations

There is an established and growing body of research associating poor health outcomes among men with conformity to socialized masculine gender norms (Bonar et al., 2011; Borsari, Murphy, & Barnett, 2007; Courtenay, 2011). This study explored whether this socialization is subject to change in four individual male participants in a multi-week, small group learning environment called Intergroup Dialogue (IGD). Participants in IGD “closely examine the socially constructed norms and ideologies that guide their (often unconscious) beliefs” (Dessel & Rogge, 2008 p.213). IGD groups met for eight sessions. Pre- and Post-group scores on the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory-46 (CMNI) were …

College Adjustment, Discrimination, And Social Support Among Students Of Color, Daniela Andrea Recabarren

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite efforts to increase underrepresented student enrollment, Students of Color continue to have significantly lower college retention rates compared to their White counterparts on many U.S.college campuses. This study investigated associations between general ethnic discrimination, emotional adjustment to college, and attachment to college in Students of Color at one predominantly White public institution in theSoutheastern U.S. Students who were the first in their immediate family to attend college were compared to those with a parent who attended college. Social support from family and friends at home, as well as social integration in school were investigated as buffers of the impact …

Predictors Of Musical Performance: Personality, Performance Anxiety, And Flow, Whitney Jean Statham

Doctoral Dissertations

There is evidence to suggest that many university schools of music struggle with student retention. In many music programs, a significant factor in students being able to matriculate in their areas of study is based on quality of performance under “high-stakes” or high-pressure performances in the form of jury performances. The importance placed on these jury performances makes the ability to predict a student’s success in this area highly valuable to students and music educators. Using the Big Five Model of personality, and a measure of narrow personality traits, this study used a stepwise multiple regression to examine the relationship …