Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Caboose By A Longshot: Impact Of Large Age Gaps On Youngest Siblings, Kelly Clark Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Siblings play a large role in developmental experiences and views of oneself. However, most research addressing siblings looks at individuals who grow up close in age with their siblings. What is currently known about sibling relationships does not seem to fit for those who have siblings but are not close in age to them, referred to in this study as a sibling age gap.

To learn more about what it was like to grow up with siblings who are much older, I interviewed 11 individuals who were the youngest siblings in their family and five or more years younger than …

Processes Of Couple Co-Regulation In Bereavement: A Longitudinal Study, Jessica Barboza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Five couples reported on their experience of coping with and supporting their partner through the loss of a child. In-depth interviews with these bereaved parents revealed that couples engage in processes of regulating self, regulating other and forming a grief rhythm after child-loss. These processes have important implications for future research and therapeutic practice with bereaved parents, couples, and families.

Mattering And Attachment: A Bilateral Association That Underlies Relationship Outcomes In Couples, Jacob Ybarra

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In this master's thesis, I conducted a quantitative study using data from 100 heterosexual couples in a committed, romantic relationship to better understand the relationship between perceived mattering (PM) and attachment and to explore how mattering relates to various mental health and relationship outcomes. All 200 partners independently completed an online anonymous questionnaire consisting of various quantitative assessments measuring my study variables (e.g., attachment, PM, and relationship and mental health outcomes).

I used dyadic data analysis to examine how study variables related to an individual's outcomes as well as their partner's. Overall, findings from the first analysis highlighted that men …

Dietary Patterns Of Children From The Amazon Region Of Ecuador: A Descriptive, Qualitative Investigation, Kristin N. Murphy, Lisa Boyce, Eduardo Ortiz, Marcela Santos, Gloria Balseca

Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Many young children in Ecuador suffer from high rates of malnutrition and stunting that affect their long-term growth and development. Little is known about the dietary patterns of children from the Amazon region who experience some of the highest rates of stunting (height-for-age) within Ecuador. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 mothers of young children living in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In addition to descriptions of overall dietary patterns, three themes emerged from the interviews relating to strengths mothers have in feeding their children healthy diets: knowledge, autonomous and independent children, and supportive and responsive parenting. Five themes were found relating …

Environmental Conditions And The Fertility Intentions Of Utahns, Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed, Jennifer E. Givens

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

One of the most important decisions a person may make in their lifetime is whether to have children. Many factors shape fertility intentions and outcomes. A better understanding of individual reproductive intentions can shed light on current fertility patterns, enable more accurate population projections^1-2 and planning efforts, and improve our ability to address environmental drivers and implications.

"There's No Good, It's Just Satisfactory": Perfectionistic Reactivity In Ncaa Student-Athletes, Daniel J. M. Fleming

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Perfectionistic reactivity is a style of responding to adversity that results in physical, psychological, and social components. Individuals who are high in perfectionistic tendencies are likely to experience anxiety, depression, frustration, and anger when perfection is not attained. The present dissertation utilized two complementary studies to examine perfectionistic reactivity in NCAA golf student-athletes. Results suggested that there is no relationship between perfectionism and performance at a hole-to-hole level. However, athletes highlighted that they experienced reactivity in their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors after both positive and negative performances. Student-athletes frequently cited self-compassion in their interviews, suggesting that the promotion of self-compassion …

#Bodypositivity Or #Bodypolitics?: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Body Positivity Myth Formed By Narratives Of Political Myth, Sydney Berenyi Lasike

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Body Positivity movement is well-known for advocating for the acceptance of all body types—including size, shape, color, and ability. Images online in support of the movement often showcase stretch marks, cellulite, and other “unattractive” bodily features to protest against the thin-ideal and strict standards of beauty placed upon women. Despite the goal to inspire self-love and celebration of all bodies, the hashtag #BodyPositivity has been taken-over by white, female influencers who have the idolized, female body. They contradict the original message of the movement through their posts on Instagram that centralize white feminine features and thin, Eurocentric bodies. This …

Using Head Start Children's Language Development To Predict Social Information Processing Ability, Kendra Newman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As young children grow and develop, gaining social skills and different language abilities is extremely important. As children develop, they also acquire the ability to process social information, which then helps them respond in various social situations. Children should eventually be able to respond to social situations in socially acceptable ways, instead of answering in aggressive or passive ways. This study examined the relations between children’s language development, and social information processing ability. This study included 51 children, from 19 Head Start classrooms. Results showed that at the beginning of the Head Start year children with more language, responded in …

Caregiver Health: Having A Child With Asd And The Impact Of Child Health Insurance Status, Kristin Hamre, Derek Nord, John Andresen

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

This study aims to understand the health outcomes of parents with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the interactive effect of child health insurance status. The study utilized 2014-2018 pooled National Health Interview Survey data to construct weighted national estimates and construct main and interaction effect logistic regression models. Findings show parents of children with ASD experienced significantly poorer health compared to parents of children without autism. Insurance status was found to significantly interact with child ASD status. Compared to parents of children without ASD that used private insurance, parents with a child with ASD who used private insurance, …

The Impact Of Family Support And Rejection On Suicide Ideation And Attempt Among Transgender Adults In The U.S., Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde, Gabe H. Miller, Jesse Ezra Shircliff, Mario Itzel Suárez

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

We evaluate the association of familial factors and suicidality among transgender adults in the U.S. by estimating the odds of lifetime suicide ideation and attempt using the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. Predictors include family support, family rejection, and specific experiences related to both. About 79% of sample respondents have experienced suicidal ideation and nearly 43% have made a suicide attempt. The predicted probability of suicide attempt is 0.35 for those with no family rejection experiences, 0.75 for those who have had all five experiences in our models. Rejection predicts both outcomes and experiences of rejection have a cumulative impact.

Exploring The Impact Of Coaches’ Emotional Abuse On Intercollegiate Student-Athletes’ Experiences, Katherine N. Alexander, Kat V. Adams, Travis E. Dorsch

Human Development and Family Studies Student Research

Despite widespread anecdotal accounts of coaches’ emotional abuse in intercollegiate sports, empirical literature is lacking. To address this gap, the present exploratory study was designed to explore how former intercollegiate student-athletes interpreted experiences of emotionally abusive coaching. Former female NCAA and NJCAA student-athletes (N = 14; M_age = 25.3 years) took part in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Data were interpreted using a constructivist grounded theory approach. The final product of the research was a three-stage grounded theory explaining how former student-athletes interpret their experiences of emotional abuse over time organized into sections on antecedents to abuse, experiences and actions …