Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Qualitative Analysis Of A Junior High School Eating Disorder Prevention Program, Janine Ruth Stickney

Theses and Dissertations

Past research conducted in the areas of diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders have provided information in regards to understanding the epidemiology, base rates, damages and longitudinal course of eating disorders. Few studies, however, have focused on prevention, especially in adolescents. In this particular study, students in a Utah junior high school health class received preventative curriculum called, Eating Disorders: Physical, Social, and Emotional Consequences. Ten, female participants were then interviewed to explore their thoughts and feelings about their experiences and to qualitatively ascertain the success of the prevention program.

An Exploration Of Pathological Gambling Among Diverse Populations, Ayana N. Perkins

Psychology Dissertations

This study used an ecological perspective to identify pathological gambling (PG) risk and protective factors, nonclinical resources, and prevention strategies based on the perceptions of Georgia stakeholders. With an ecological perspective, human behavior is perceived as an outcome of the interaction between the individual and various factors in their social environment. The ecological perspective is especially suitable for examining the higher PG prevalence among ethnic minority groups since these populations have been documented as encountering greater exposure to PG social and environmental risk factors (Smedley & Syme, 2000). To assess prevention needs, data were obtained from a 2008 needs assessment …

South African Youth And Parents: A Mixed-Methods Examination Of Family Communication About Sex, Hiv, And Violence, Lindsey Zimmerman

Psychology Dissertations

South Africa retains the highest HIV prevalence in the world, with the incidence of infection growing fastest among youth. The purpose of this investigation was to inform preventive family-based interventions designed to reduce youth HIV risks. In 2009, 38 black South African caregivers and youth (ages 10-14) participated in key informant interviews and focus groups, which were coded for themes related to family communication about sex. Findings highlighted a cultural taboo against communication that among some caregivers was shifting. Informed by this qualitative data, in 2010, 97 black South African caregivers and 97 youth (ages 10-14) completed measures designed for …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Adolescent Girls' Experience In An Eating Disorder Prevention Curriculum, Jill L. Smedley

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disorders are a widespread problem that affects millions of people each year in the United States. Research-based prevention programs are becoming more and more important as this number rises. This study qualitatively examined the effectiveness of a prevention program called Eating Disorders: Physical, Social, and Emotional Consequences, A High School Curriculum about Anorexia, Bulimia, and Compulsive Eating (EDPSEC). Study participants included 10 female students in a ninth grade health class in a junior high school in Utah. The integrity of curriculum administration was analyzed and interviews were conducted. The aim of the interviews was to determine what students who …

Testing Of A Brief Internet Cyberbullying Prevention Program In College Students, Ashley Nicole Doane

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Although the prevalence of cyberbullying varies across investigations, studies on adolescents and college students have shown that cyberbullying is associated with a wide range of negative consequences, including emotional distress, substance use, delinquent behavior, and even suicide. Given the frequency and consequences of cyberbullying, effective low-cost cyberbullying prevention programs are needed. Based on a review of the literature, best practices for program development, and earlier work on cyberbullying (e.g., Doane, Kelley, & Padilla, 2011; Doane, Kelley, Cornell, & Pearson, 2008), the goals of the proposed project were to develop a video-based program to increase knowledge about cyberbullying and empathy toward …

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Cyber Bullying Prevention And Intervention Strategies, Sterling V. Stauffer

Theses and Dissertations

Results from recent meta-analyses have indicated that bully prevention programs tend to produce little discernable change in student behavior. Possible reasons include a lack of teacher buy-in and teachers' questioning about the effectiveness of such programs. Teacher buy-in is an essential ingredient when implementing and maintaining effective school-based interventions, including bully prevention programs. In order to examine teachers' perceptions, a questionnaire was administered to 66 high school teachers in a western U.S. urban high school. The questionnaire examined teachers' attitudes regarding the impact of cyber bullying on students; which intervening strategies teachers were likely to use when dealing with cyber …

Cleveland Schools Social Skills Training Program Showing Positive Results, David Volosin, Oscar T. Mcknight, John Sikula

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

This article reports on research conducted in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District by the Society for Prevention of Violence (SPV). A total of 1500 students and 150 teachers participated in a social skills training program. Statistically significant positive results were found over the course of the 2009 - 2010 school year. A positive change in the school environment was documented via a thirty-five item learning survey. Because of the positive results, during the 2010 - 2011 school year, SPV's social skills training program is being implemented in all three Parma middle schools.

U.S. Cultural Involvement And Its Association With Co-Occurring Substance Abuse And Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Youth In The Dominican Republic, Elián P. Cabrera-Nguyen, Juan B. Peña

Elián P. Cabrera-Nguyen

We examined the relationship of US cultural involvement with substance abuse and sexual risk behavior profiles from our nationally representative sample of public high school students in the Dominican Republic. Using a novel methodological approach to control for selection bias, we examined explanations for the so-called Latino or Hispanic immigrant paradox. A latent class regression analysis with manifest and latent covariates found that US cultural involvement indicators were independent and robust predictors of increased risk of co-ocurring substance abuse and sexual risk behaviors. Implications for prevention efforts targeting risk behaviors among Latino/a adolescents in the US and abroad are considered.

A Multi-Level Investigation Of Teacher Instructional Practices And The Use Of Responsive Classroom, Benjamin George Solomon

Open Access Dissertations

A year-long longitudinal study was conducted to quantify different types of teaching in the beginning of the year, and the effect of those choices on end of year instructional practices and student outcomes. Teacher practices were organized around the fidelity of implementation to the Responsive Classroom (RC) program (Northeast Foundation for Children, 2009). Most notably, a central RC tenant entitled “the first six weeks” was examined. RC is a universal prevention program that previously has been categorized as a Tier I social-behavioral program for students when considered within an RTI model (Elliott, 1999).

Twenty-seven teachers from the New England region …

Finding Balance: School-Based Yoga Programs For The Prevention And Reduction Of Anxiety, Jessica Dawn Aaron

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Children and adolescents experience anxiety to varying degrees; levels vary from healthy and motivating to clinically elevated and debilitating. At present, anxiety disorders are most commonly treated through psychopharmacology and cognitive behavioral therapy. This thesis contains a brief literature review of these existing treatments, followed by a presentation of the emerging support for mindfulness-based yoga programs, highlighting a particular opportunity for school-based mental health providers. Keywords: yoga, anxiety, wellness, prevention, school-based, holistic care.

Preventative Behavioral Parent Training: A Preliminary Investigation Of Strategies For Preventing At-Risk Children From Developing Later Conduct Problems, Jessica L. Malmberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Children exhibiting conduct problems comprise the largest source of referrals to children's mental health services in this county. Significant research has been conducted in an attempt to identify specific risk factors that result in increased vulnerability of a child developing conduct problems. Knowledge of these factors increases our ability to identify young children who are at greater risk for developing conduct problems. The treatment for conduct problems that possesses the greatest amount of empirical support is behavioral parent training. Yet behavioral parent training fails to address behaviors and risk factors that are present during a child's early development. Preventative behavioral …

A Quantitative Analysis Of An Eating Disorder Prevention Program, Jennalee Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disorders affect millions of people in the United States alone. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of a preventative curriculum for eating disorders called Eating Disorders: Physical, Social, and Emotional Consequences, A High School Curriculum about Anorexia, Bulimia, and Compulsive Eating (EDPSEC). Participants included an experimental group of 27 students in their ninth grade health class and a control group of 21 students. The research examined the integrity of the curriculum administration and changes in participating students' attitudes and behaviors. The outcome measures used were students' scores on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the Eating Survey (ES). …

Gene-Environment Interactions, Criminal Responsibility, And Sentencing, Stephen J. Morse

All Faculty Scholarship

This chapter in, Gene-Environment Interactions in Developmental Psychopathology (K. Dodge & M. Rutter, eds. 2011), considers the relevance of GxE to criminal responsibility and sentencing. It begins with a number of preliminary assumptions that will inform the analysis. It then turns to the law’s view of the person, including the law’s implicit psychology, and the criteria for criminal responsibility. A few false starts or distractions about responsibility are disposed of briefly. With this necessary background in place, the chapter then turns specifically to the relation between GxE and criminal responsibility. It suggests that GxE causes of criminal behavior have no …

Predicting Teachers' Awareness Of And Interventions In Classroom Episodes Of Gender-Based Bullying : Individual And Systems Factors, Evan David Slater

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Gender-based bullying (GBB) includes threatening behaviors based on gender/gender-role expectations, verbal/physical harassment, unwanted sexual attention and coercion, insults, intimidation, and assaults based on sexual orientation. In this study, 342 teachers completed an online survey to identify which variables predicted their rates of witnessing and intervening in GBB. Individual variables included teacher rates of homophobia and heterosexism. Systems variables included teachers' fear of angry backlash for reporting GBB, the comprehensiveness of districts' safe school policies (SSP), the timeliness of districts' responses to reports of GBB, and the consistency of administrative responses. Also included were the number of district trainings concerning their …

The Role Of Expectancy In Prescription Stimulant Misuse, Alison Looby

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Misuse of prescription stimulant medication such as methylphenidate (MPH) has increased among college students over the past several years. Common motivations for misuse include enhancements in cognitive function and subjective arousal. Researchers have recently cited a need to better understand and develop treatments for this behavior. Expectancy effects, which impact initiation and maintenance of substance use, may also be implicated in one's decision to engage in prescription stimulant misuse. This study first examined whether subjective mood and cognitive performance could be elevated solely by one's expectation to receive MPH. Additionally, this study examined the efficacy of an expectancy challenge in …

Accumulating Evidence For Parent-Child Interaction Therapy In The Prevention Of Child Maltreatment, Rae Thomas, Melanie Zimmer-Gembeck

Rae Thomas

In a randomized controlled trial, the effectiveness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and correlates of maltreatment outcomes were examined. Mothers (N = 150) had a history or were at high risk of maltreating their children. After 12 weeks and compared to waitlist, PCIT mothers were observed to have improved parent-child interactions and reported better child behavior and decreased stress. At PCIT completion, improvements continued and mothers reported less child abuse potential and had improved maternal sensitivity. Also, PCIT completers were less likely to be notified to child welfare than noncompleters. Finally, those families not notified post-PCIT showed greater reductions in …