Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Softening Resistance Toward Diversity Initiatives: The Role Of Mindfulness In Mitigating Emotional White Fragility, Vatia P. Caldwell

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

When examining racial equity within organizations, a common theme is the failure of many organizations to address whiteness in their organizations (i.e., White supremacy, White privilege, White dominant culture). Decentering whiteness is key in racial equity work (Grimes, 2002). However, the process of decentering whiteness often results in backlash from Whites also known as White fragility (DiAngelo, 2011). This backlash impedes the organization from moving towards racial equity by upholding the racial status quo. The purpose of the current study is to further explore the role mindfulness plays in racial-equity work within organizations. Specifically, a mindfulness intervention was tested for …

Coachmotivation: Developing Transformational Leadership By Increasing Effective Communication Skills In The Workplace, Megan L. Schuller

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

Communication is an intrinsic part of the human experience and has been widely studied empirically and practically within organizations. It is the bedrock for many workplace behaviors and outcomes such as employee trust, engagement, job satisfaction, and transformational leadership. Nonetheless, effective communication continues to be a challenge for organizations across a variety of sectors. The current study examined whether a communications training, CoachMotivation (CM), increased perceived effective communication. CM is derived from clinical psychology skills for behavior change, namely, the Motivational Interviewing concepts of open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summary statements. This study also considered the Big Five personality traits …

The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership And Resilience, Moderated By Coping Skills, Alice E. Stark

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

Organizations with leaders high in authentic leadership behaviors tend to experience more positive outcomes both on an organizational level as well as on an individual level. One potential explanation for the positive outcomes is that authentic leadership enhances leader resilience in a positively linear fashion. However, other literature suggests that authenticity is not always beneficial for the leader and that, at high levels, it can even be detrimental as leaders become more transparent and convicted about their values and goals independent of the situation. One underlying reason for conflicting theories may be the coping skills that leaders use in combination …

Moderation Of Effects Of Anxiety On Verbal And Visuospatial Short-Term Memory In Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rachael Arowolo

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit developmental differences in a number of domains, including memory. Short-term memory (STM) has been studied in children with ASD but the findings have been mixed. Children with ASD are also at increased risk of developing an anxiety disorder. Anxiety has been found to impact short-term (STM) and other cognitive functions in typically developing children. Limited research suggests that trait anxiety is associated with poorer STM in school-aged children with ASD. Given that STM develops throughout early childhood, understanding the impact of anxiety in younger children with ASD may be beneficial in providing the …

Parent Emotion Coaching And Affect Recognition In Theory Of Mind In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Audrey L. O'Connor

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with deficits in social communication and social interaction, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities. Theory of Mind (ToM) has been identified as a key factor in social development in both typically developing (TD) children and children with ASD. One proposed explanation for the deficits in social development characteristic in ASD is that deficits in ToM, particularly the ability to infer the mental states of self and others, results in impairments in social development. Researchers have found that affect recognition is a precursor in the development of ToM which occurs …

Generalized Anxiety Symptoms And Interpersonal Self-Perceptions During Stressors: A Prospective Examination Of Psychological And Biological Stress, Jamie A. Lewis

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms endorse negative emotionality, psychosocial dysfunction, and biological dysregulation. Interpersonal dominance and affiliation have also been linked to GAD symptoms. Little research has examined individuals with GAD symptoms in terms of naturalistic stressors and chronic use of interpersonal behaviors. GAD symptoms, as well as lower dominance and affiliation, have been linked to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) dysregulation. However, no studies have examined the unique and interacting contributions of GAD symptoms and interpersonal processes to chronic cortisol levels and distress. College students completed baseline measures of GAD symptoms, measures of interpersonal self-perceptions and distress for five weeks, …

Posttraumatic Growth In The Context Of Grief: Testing The Mindfulness-To-Meaning Theory, Honey Williams

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

The current study utilized a cross-sectional survey design to examine the role of mindfulness and meaning-making in the development of posttraumatic growth following the death of a loved one. Participants were 232 adults (77.2% female, 85% Caucasian), ages 18 to 67 years old (M = 35.7, SD = 12.5) who had experienced the death of a loved one in the last 10 years. Preliminary analysis indicated significant positive bivariate correlations between mindfulness and meaning making (r = .39 ) and mindfulness and posttraumatic growth (r = .20 ), as well significant negative bivariate correlations between mindfulness and …

An Integrated Analysis Of The Mechanisms By Which Parents Facilitate The Development Of Emotion Regulation In Young Adolescents, Andrew Fox

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Effective emotion regulation strategies are associated with adaptive outcomes in youth. While previous research has established parental socialization of emotion regulation as an important predictor of adaptive outcomes, the mechanisms by which parents contribute to young adolescents’ emotion regulation outcomes is poorly understood. The current study examined pathways between parenting style, parental socialization of emotion regulation practices, and adolescent negative affectivity to emotion regulation outcomes in adolescents cross-sectionally and prospectively over the course of a year. Participants were 150 young adolescents ages to 10 to 14 (M_age = 13.03, SD_age = .90; 51.33% female) and their parent/legal …

Does Expectation Influence Relationship? A Mixed Methods Investigation Of Parental Expectation And Parent-Child Relationship Among Chinese Family Groups 期望是否會影響關係？華裔家庭中父母的期望對親子關係的影響之研究, Sharon Chiang, Sharon Chiang, Sharon Chiang

Education Dissertations

Abstract

Parental expectation, particularly among Chinese family groups, is understood to be formative upon their children’s identity, behavior in family relationships, educational success and decisions in career choices. China's long history of traditionalism in its social values, heavily based on Confucian philosophy of the family, bears this out. Significant social changes have happened in recent years due to political shifts, modernization, capitalization, immigration, and government population control policies. However, expectation is an element on which both academic study and educational research are rather limited. Current study has touched on the topic of parental expectation and raised some awareness, but the …

Trauma Exposure, Depressive Symptoms, And Responding To Positive Events And Affect In Young Adults, Jana Desimone Wozniak

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

The relationship between trauma exposure and responding to positive affect and events is unclear. Depression may co-occur with trauma exposure, and may also independently predict responding to positive affect and events. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between trauma exposure, depressive symptoms, and responding to positive affect and positive life events among young adults. Participants were 277 (84.8% female, 56.3% Caucasian) undergraduates ages 18-39 (M = 19.67, SD = 2.22). At baseline, ANCOVAs were used to examine the relationships between trauma exposed/non-trauma exposed groups, as well as high/low depressive symptom groups, on responding to positive …

The Costs Of Covid-19: Loneliness, Coping, And Psychological Distress In The United States Population, Lauren Hammond

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

The first reported cases of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) occurred in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, with the World Health Organization officially declaring the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic in March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant public health challenge, an important part of which is the effects of the outbreak and related efforts to contain the outbreak (e.g., social distancing) on mental health. As such, the current study sought to better understand the psychological impact of the outbreak on the United States population. Participants were 2,284 individuals (78.7% female, 78.7% Caucasian) 18 years of age and older. …

Examining The Factors That Mediate The Relationship From Legal Advocacy Satisfaction To Resilience, Desta T. Gebregiorgis

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Sexual assault is a public health issue that can impact one’s resilience. Using a multisystemic approach to resilience, there may be person-level and environment-level factors that can affect one’s resilience, such as one’s coping self-efficacy, satisfaction with the court process, and negative effects associated with court process. Legal advocacy programs, such as those offered by the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC), support clients during the court proceedings. In order to better serve KCSARC’s clientele, it is helpful to understand how the legal advocacy program impacts post-trauma resilience. This dissertation had three phases: (a) evaluating the structural validity of …

Autism And Externalizing Behaviors: Attachment As A Protective Factor, Rebecca Kramer

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit externalizing behaviors at a higher rate when compared to their typically developing (TD) counterparts (Bauminger, Solomon, & Rogers, 2010; Gray, Keating, Taffe, & Brereton, 2012). Numerous longitudinal and cross-sectional studies assert that attachment is one of the most salient predictors of childhood externalizing behaviors (e.g., Green and Goldwyn, 2002). Despite this, little research has examined the relation between attachment and externalizing behaviors in children with ASD. This study investigated the extent to which high levels of attachment buffer the symptoms of externalizing behaviors in children with ASD, potentially informing future interventions. In addition, …

Womanism & Wellbeing: A Manuscript Dissertation Exploring The Effects Of Shame, Loss And Gender Issues, Christy Angelle-Vidrine Bauman

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the research on gender issues and psychological well-being across the adult lifespan utilizing qualitative research examining factors (e.g., societal influences, sexual objectification, shame, loss, meaning-making, and internal identity) in developing resilience and mitigating mental health issues. This paper discusses the importance of addressing well-being through expression of loss, meaning-making, and social impact. This manuscript style dissertation will review publications in such areas as sexuality, spirituality, grief, shame, intimacy, social, and interpersonal relationships. The exploration of biopsychosocial impacts as it relates to meaning-making, resilience, and communal involvement. The three publications will be …

Impacts Of Motor And Sensory Impairment On Language In Young Children With Autism, Elizabeth A. Bisi

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with varying degrees of deficit in the broader areas of social communication and stereotyped behaviors, but emerging research proposes delayed motor skill and atypical sensory processing as additional factors worth closer examination. In the current study, I sought to investigate the impacts of visual motor skills and sensory differences on language ability in young children with autism. I hypothesized that young children with autism, atypical sensory processing (Short Sensory Profile, 2^nd Edition), and impaired visual motor integration (Beery VMI, 6^th Edition) would have the most impacted language ability scores (Differential Ability …

Fighting Dirty In An Era Of Corporate Dominance: Exploring Personality As A Moderator Of The Impact Of Dangerous Organizational Misconduct On Whistleblowing Intentions, Keith Andrew Price

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

As instances of corporate wrongdoing continue to rise globally, the opportunity and need for individual whistleblowers to act as a check on corporate power are also rising. Whistleblowing efforts represent a unique challenge to the power asymmetry that exists between an individual employee and the organization. Due to the serious, pervasive harm to employees and consumers that can stem from organizational misconduct, efforts to identify indicators of whistleblowing likelihood can potentially provide a significant means of prevention. This study used a vignette method to present two different levels of harm occurrence, by manipulating the timing of the consequences of a …

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms As A Moderator Of Affective Reactions To Perceived Interpersonal Behaviors, Narayan B. Singh

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms often struggle with heightened sensitivity and arousal in response to perceived threats. Moreover, interpersonal dysfunction in GAD has become increasingly a focus of empirical investigation and treatment, given the possibility that responses to social interactions may contribute to GAD symptom maintenance. Laboratory studies and cross-sectional trait assessments of interpersonal problems comprise most of our understanding of interpersonal dysfunction in GAD. However, how GAD symptoms interact with perceived interpersonal threats to predict affective responses (increased arousal, lower valence) within daily life remains poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine …

Following The Guide: A Wilderness Theology Of Youth Ministry, Rachel M. Weisz

Honors Projects

Scripture offers readers a unique characterization of wilderness spaces and provides us with a great deal of information about what to expect. This discussion traces various scriptural narratives of encounter with God in the wilderness, offering the reader a model for what a wilderness experience of God may entail, and then turns to more current conversation about wilderness youth ministry. The project traces current research of fields that are tangentially related to wilderness youth ministry including wilderness therapy, outdoor adventure education, and camp ministry, and seeks to highlight the ways that they can enhance, alter, and confirm various practices within …

Developing Adaptive Performance: The Power Of Experiences And A Strategic Network Of Support, Joseph D. Landers Jr.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

In today’s dynamic work environment, the ability to adapt is becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity. In order to contribute to the growing body of research surrounding adaptive performance, this study will seek to examine the power of a leader’s breadth and depth of experience on his or her adaptive performance. It is predicted that the more breadth and depth of experience that a leader has, the higher the leader’s adaptive performance will be. Additionally, in assessing the power of a leader’s breadth and depth of experience on adaptive performance, it is also predicted that the …

The Role Of White Support In Predicting Racial Minorities' Feelings Of Inclusion And Retention, Sam Cannon, Jadvir Gill

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

The main objective of the current study is to identify strategies that white individuals can use to support coworkers of color. For organizations to meet their goals, it is essential for racial minorities to experience a sense of belonging and integration in their workgroups. Thus, we introduced a measure of white support for coworkers of color (WSCC) in which employees of color rated their white coworkers’ openness to learning about sociocultural factors that impact the lives of racial minorities and their inclinations to demonstrate solidarity by promoting justice in the workplace. In a sample of people of color, we found …

Emotion Regulation As A Moderator On The Association Between Acculturative Stress And Risk Factors Of Suicide Ideation In A Sample Of International Students, Jingyan Gu, Janelle Wee, Keyne Law

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

Previous studies suggest that international students are at greater risk of endorsing mental health difficulties such as suicide, depression, and anxiety which may be related to acculturative stress and emotion dysregulation. The current study aims to examine the effect of between acculturative stress and emotion regulation on proximal indicators of suicide ideation, burdensomeness and belongingness. Preliminary data yielded 20 participants (Mage = 28.2, 60% female). Results indicated that acculturative stress (ASSIS) was significantly positively correlated with perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. Furthermore, emotional regulation significantly moderated the relationship between ASSIS and burdensomeness but not between ASSIS and belongingness.

They Did The Crime, You Do The Time: The Role Of Guilt And Shame On Sentencing Severity For Psychopathic And Non-Psychopathic Criminal Offenders., Soby Haarman, Tom Carpenter

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

This project examines effects of personality on how severely people punish criminal offenders, focusing specifically on guilt- and shame-proneness. Prior work (Tangney et al., 2007) suggests that guilt-proneness is an emotional tendency that prompts reparative behaviors, whereas shame-proneness prompts withdrawal. Further, shame-prone individuals tend to be defensive and more aggressive (Stuewig et al., 2009), which suggests they may be more punitive. Consequently, we hypothesize that guilt-prone individuals will tend to punish criminal offenders less severely than shame-prone individuals, who we hypothesize will punish more severely. We also consider whether the offender’s psychopathic status impacts the severity of their punishment.

Maskmaker, Maskmaker, Make Me A Mask: A Study Of The Effect Of Resilient Coping Behavior On Positive And Negative Affect During Covid-19., Linda Montano, Lynette Bikos

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

During times of crisis, resilient coping behavior may be an important pathway for improving positive and negative affect. This relationship is explored via a moderated mediation model using data from a survey administered to volunteer maskmaskers during COVID-19. We hypothesize there will be a significant effect of resilient coping on affect, mediated through mask making hours. Change to employment is likely to moderate this indirect effect as well as interact directly with the coping to affect relationship. If supported, our hypotheses support the notion that engaging in a prosocial behavior such as Maskmaking may contribute positively to mental health outcomes.

Help-Seeking Behaviors In Asian American Adolescents And College Students, Janelle Wee, Jingyan Gu, Keyne Law

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

The aim of this review is to examine Asian American (ASA) adolescents’ and college students’ help-seeking behaviors, to understand specific barriers to mental health service utilization. Despite a decreased likelihood of seeking treatment (SAMHSA, 2014), even those who sought treatment reported a greater severity of symptoms compared to their White counterparts (U.S. DHHS, 2001). ASA adolescents were less inclined to use school-based mental health services (SBMHS) compared to their peers (Wang et al., 2018), with parents reporting several barriers to utilizing SBMHS. ASA college students with a greater sense of ethnic identity also avoided seeking help (Tummala-Narra et al., 2018).

Adaptive Stories: How Career Narratives Can Build Personal Resilience, Paul Yost, Shannon Ford, Brandon Purvis

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

This research investigated the stability and adaptivity of personal career stories before and during the Coronavirus outbreak. Two narrative elements (arc and theme) were assessed for their ability to promote personal well-being (measured by general self-efficacy, perceived stress, psychosocial flourishing, resilience, and social generativity). It was hypothesized that certain arcs and themes would be more stable over time and show adaptability, leading to increased resilience. Additionally, levels of stress and career prospects would moderate the relationship between narrative and resilience. Data from 300 participants were collected using Prolific. Analysis and results will be discussed.

Knee Jerk Satisfaction: Displaying Satisfaction As An Outcome Of Interest, Charlene Hack, Hunter Bronkema

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

Satisfaction among applied psychological literature has been often viewed as a correlate to constructs of interest in the same field (Mathieu & Zajac, 1990; Shuck, Adelson & Reio, 2017). While literature exists in promotion of employee job satisfaction, satisfaction is often tied to the ultimate fiscal criterion or productivity of an organization. Employee job satisfaction can be catalytic in an individual’s personal, professional, and their organizational goals. This paper seeks to explore job satisfaction as an outcome variable of workplace civility. Additionally, both employee engagement and organizational commitment will be assessed as potential mediators for the relationship between workplace civility …

Considering Resilience Practices Through Coronavirus: The Role Of Having A Healthy Diet, Kait Hemphill

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

Coronavirus offers a powerful opportunity to study the factors that can increase resilience. Most people are experiencing highly stressful conditions during the pandemic and habits are broken with the stay at home orders which provides the context for adopting new habits. Resilience, in this research, is not only the ability to “bounce back” from adversity (resilience) but also the increased capacity to take on future challenges (general-self efficacy). When considering resilience practices, evidence suggests that a healthy diet predicts above and beyond coping skills (social support, spiritual practices, growth/reframing, and time management/planning). Additionally, evidence suggests that perceived stress moderates the …

The Effect Of Employee Engagement And Civility On Satisfaction, Hannah Wagner, Mackenzie Harris

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

Using survey data collected by the Collins’ Alliance, we examined the relationship between employee satisfaction, engagement, and civility. We hypothesized that employee engagement and civility would significantly predict employee satisfaction. Participant scores missing 20% or more of their data were removed from the dataset. Remaining missing values were imputed using a multiple imputation approach (Parent, 2013). After cleaning the dataset, we used a multiple regression to assess if engagement and civility predicted employee satisfaction. Our findings were consistent with our hypothesis, and both engagement and civility had a positive linear relationship with engagement.

A Literature Review Of Suicide Research And Practices In Taiwan., Yu-Chin Lin, Keyne Law

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

Suicide reflects social values and is strongly influenced by the local culture (Farberow, 1975). Some researchers adopt an indigenous psychology approach to analyzing constructs of interest, in which the content and context of the local culture are explicitly considered (Yang, 2000). Suicide in Taiwan is associated with expectations, experiences, and consequences unique to the community. A literature review is conducted to provide an overview of the current status of suicide research and practices in Taiwan, and to assess the extent it is influenced by the indigenous psychology approach.

A Review Of Suicide In The Correctional System, Rocky Marks, Keyne Law

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

In the United States of America, suicide is the leading cause of death in jails and the second highest in prisons, with inmates being nine times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, and it is a consistent finding worldwide that suicide rates in custody exceed those in the general population. Contributory factors have been suggested, such as the deinstitutionalization of mental health treatment facilities, and the establishment of correctional liability. This review traces the development of the history of correctional suicide, notable contributing factors and suggest next steps to address this rising issue.