Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Policies And Programs To Prevent Child Maltreatment And Promote Family Wellness In Ghana, Bright Isaac Asante

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examined policies and programs to prevent child maltreatment and promote family wellness in Ghana. In the thesis, I discussed values that guide child-care in Ghana, the daily realities of children and families, and policies and programs to promote family wellness and prevent child maltreatment. Lastly, I looked at the climate for prevention and early intervention. I presented recommendations under each of these sections. In the first part of the literature review, I examined some definitions of child maltreatment, the prevalence rate, etiology, and consequences of maltreatment. In the second part, I reviewed some policies and programs to prevent …

Critical Psychology In Action: Recommendations For The Practice Of Critical Psychology, Stephanie Austin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Critical psychology is a movement that is gaining momentum in psychology. Although people define it in various ways, for the purpose of my current research I define critical psychology as a movement that challenges psychology to work towards emancipation and social justice and that opposes the use of psychology to perpetuate oppression and injustice. This thesis project engaged critical psychologists from several different countries in a formative evaluation of the field of critical psychology. The research I have undertaken has conceptual/theoretical and practical components, consistent with a commitment to what Paulo Freire called critical praxis. Critical psychology as a scholarly …

Parenting Experience And Gender Role Socialization In Toy Play Situations, Sara Elizabeth Gugula

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study investigated the role of parenting experience on the gender socialization of children. Each of the children (N=48) played with three adults; one of their parents, one parent of another child, and one non-parent. The amount of time children and adults played with gender-specific toys, adults’ categorization of toys into gender categories and adults’ desirability ratings of gender-specific toys were examined. Results indicated that boys spent most of their time playing with masculine toys, while girls spent an equal amount of time playing with feminine and neutral toys and the least amount of time playing with masculine toys. The …

Board Transition In A Student Government Organization: Developing Effective Organizational Change, Rolando Eduardo Inzunza

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

I focused the research project on creating effective transition in a graduate student government organization of which I was the president in 1998-1997. I conducted the evaluation as an insider, using a participatory-action research model. My search of the literature focused on principles of community psychology and how the literature on learning organizations could apply these principles as organizational goals. I then used organizational development as a model for putting these principles and subsequent goals into practice. I guided the evaluation and improvement of board transition with measures of board effectiveness. I collected the data from in-depth qualitative interviews with …

Programs For The Promotion Of Family Wellness And The Prevention Of Child Maltreatment: A Meta-Analytic Review, Jennifer R. Macleod

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is a meta-analytic review of interventions that focus on the promotion of family wellness and the prevention of child maltreatment. Fifty-six evaluations which met the inclusion criteria were coded and effect sizes were calculated for each of the studies. I identified five key elements or “moderator variables,” through a review of the literature, which I believed might have an impact on the effectiveness of interventions. These moderator variables were: an ecological framework, an empowerment/strengths-based focus, the duration/intensity of the intervention, and the availability of social support and concrete support. A three step model testing process was used to …

Community Gardeners: Planting The Seeds Of A Sustainable Future, Janet Ann O'Reilly

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

My personal and academic journey with community gardening began in the spring of 1997, when I joined my first community garden and became involved in a local community group called the Community Gardening Network of Waterloo Region. It was during a graduate course that I first heard about community gardens and other community food projects. I had not been aware of the significant participation of citizens, like me, in such projects. In the classroom, we had discussed community food projects, like community gardens, as alternative settings in the context of broader social change considerations. Due in part to this exposure …

An Examination Of The Creation And Impact Of A Supported Housing Program For Psychiatric Consumer/Survivors, Shannon Parkinson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Supported housing has existed for approximately a decade, but knowledge on the implementation of the approach and the impacts on consumer/survivors is scarce. The current qualitative study described a supported housing program in Winnipeg, Manitoba and determined a fit with the definition of supported housing developed by Parkinson, Nelson, and Horgan (1999). Information was presented regarding the implementation process of this program, including review of the program operations, implementation of the shift, remedying difficulties, and maintaining practice within the values of the community integration/empowerment paradigm As well, three individuals shared personal stories of their involvement in the program and the …

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me: The Relationship Between Gay Men Living With Hiv And Their Physicians (Immune Deficiency), Adele Parkinson-Heyes

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis I examine the doctor-client relationship from the perspective of gay men living with HIV. I asked six gay men living with HIV the following open-ended question “Could you tell me about the relationship you have with your physician?” during in-depth interviews. I used narrative analysis to interpret the verbatim transcriptions of each interview. In the findings section I present each man’s story in his own words supplemented with my interpretative comments. The findings revealed that gay men living with HIV had both positive and negative experiences in their relationships with physicians. I identified two contrasting themes: connection …

Single Mothers, Income, And Health: An Analysis Of Risk And Protective Factors, Melanie Quickfall

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examined the relationships between single mothers, income and health, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects that certain risk factors (low income, stress, public housing, financial stress, education, home satisfaction, single parenting) and protective factors (neighbourhood satisfaction, social support, program participation, community integration) had on both the physical and mental health of single mothers. In the quantitative component, statistical analyses (a series of two-way mixed ANOVA’s and linear regressions) were conducted on interview data from 276 mothers who were involved in the Better Beginnings, Better Futures project in Highfield-Etobicoke, …

Needle Localization For Breast Biopsy: The Patient's Experience, Marian De Walt Morgan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The needle localization procedure for breast biopsy (NLP) can be painful and distressing for some women. This study was carried out to learn what factors might increase or decrease NLP pain and distress, and to gain insight into possible interventions to make the procedure more comfortable for all patients. One hundred and thirty-eight women were surveyed following breast needle localization at two central Virginia hospitals. The influence of eight variables (lidocaine, self-regulation, anxiety, worry about breast cancer, breast tenderness, finding mammography painful, difficulty with surgery, and distress of blood drawing) on four outcome variables (pain incidence, pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, …

The College Student Worry Questionnaire: Development And Preliminary Psychometric Properties, Gretchen M. Domek

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

To date, there has not been a well-developed measure designed specifically to evaluate the content of worry. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a worry questionnaire designed to measure the worry content of college students, the College Student Worry Questionnaire (CSWQ). A total of 315 participants were recruited from several undergraduate psychology courses at a large mid-western university. Participants completed a questionnaire packet which consisted of a written informed consent form, a background questionnaire, the CSWQ, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the Beck …

Integrating Self-Concept Theory Into A Model Of Loneliness, Joy M. Tassin '99

Honors Projects

This study utilized the Brewer and Gardner (1996) theory of self-concept and related it to previous theories of loneliness. Seventy participants were cued by stories (primes) to put them in a mind-frame that focused on one level of self. The levels used were the interpersonal level and the collective level. In addition, a control group was used. The collective level of self is the way in which individuals think of themselves within a group. The interpersonal level is the way they think about themselves within an intimate relationship. Loneliness was then measured using both the SELSA and the UCLA loneliness …

Voluntary Versus Involuntary Runaway Youth: Basic Demographics, Characteristics And Family Relations, Darcia A. Colburn '99

Honors Projects

There is an increased concern that youths are leaving home earlier than ever. According to the National Network for Youth, 38% of runaways are under the age of 14. Clinicians, as well as researchers, who have worked with the population of runaway youth recognize that there are two distinct groups (i.e., voluntary and involuntary). Previous research has largely neglected the difference between those youths who have left home on their own initiative (voluntary) and those youths who were forced to leave their home (involuntary.) I hypothesized that involuntary youth will predominantly male and older in age. I examined a number …

Management Of Change In The Irish Construction Industry, Louis Gunnigan

Masters

Ireland is changing and this change is nowhere more apparent than in the rapidly growing construction industry. The industry is being forced to change at an unprecedented pace. This thesis sets out to develop a framework on which construction organisations can approach and manage change.

It examines the issues that will cause change, reviews the available literature to find how change can be managed and controlled, and develops a model for guiding change programmes in the construction industry. The model is tested against three case studies, the first two of which are concerned with finding increases in efficiency and demonstrating …

The Relationship Between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Aggression In Children: A Cross-Sectional Study, Eric Wayne Boelter

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the correlation between aggression and ADHD symptoms across several age groups in children. Participants were elementary and secondary students recruited from grades 1st through 12th in a suburban, university-affiliated laboratory school (N = 426). The students' teachers also participated in the study. The study consisted of administering questionnaires to students and teachers. These included: (a) The Self-Report Inventory, (b) The Peer Nomination Inventory, and (c) The Teacher Report Inventory. All of these measures were designed for this study. One way analysis of variance for gender showed that males were more aggressive and had more ADHD symptoms than …

Personality Characteristics Associated With People Who Frequently Experience Flow, Mark A. Ackerman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Flow is a state of mind that has been found to occur when people become immersed in a challenging activity that matches or slightly exceeds their skill level. It has been suggested that some people may be more likely to enter this state of mind than others. The purpose of this study was to attempt to identify personality traits common to people who frequently experience flow.

Amount of flow generally experienced in 115 college undergraduates was measured with two modified flow measures, the modified Flow State Scale (FSS) and the modified Flow Descriptions Questionnaire (FDQ). Eight personality characteristics were hypothesized …

Leadership In Student Organizations: Do Women And Men Lead Stereotypically?, Jennifer Cullen Danielson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Men and women are believed to vary along stereotypical male and female leadership behaviors (Cann & Siegfried, 1990; Eagly & Johnson, 1990). Stereotypic leadership behaviors for men are defined as task and goal oriented behavior, whereas for women, it is interpersonal or social behavior. The present study explored the leadership behavior of male and female students in student organizations at a mid-western state university. The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI; Posner & Kouzes, 1988) was used to assess leadership behavior in the student organizations. The leaders of 100 student organizations, 50 males and 50 females, were contacted and asked to fill …

The Reasons For Living Inventory For Adolescents (Rfl-A) : Validation In Three Adolescent Populations, Joe S. Rich

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study is intended to examine further psychometric characteristics of the Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents (RFL-A), a self-report measure developed specifically for use with adolescents. Three separate groups were utilized in this study: a psychiatric suicidal group, a psychiatric inpatient non-suicidal group, and a non-clinical control group from a local laboratory school. Specifically, the factor structure, discriminant validity, internal consistency reliability, and convergent validity of the RFLA total and subscales were examined. Overall, results indicated that the five-factor structure that was identified by Osman et al. (1998) was replicated. Further, results showed that the measure demonstrated adequate internal …

Effects Of Parenting Styles, Self-Esteem, Self-Concept, And Attribution Styles On Children’S Popularity, Michelle Ann Jagodzinski

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the present study was to examine the link between parent-child and child-peer relationships. This study tests a hypothesized model suggesting that adolescents' self-esteem, self-concept, and attribution styles mediate the association between parenting attitudes and social competence. The sample consisted of 170 students in the 6th through 9th grades (83 males, 87 females) and 113 of their parents (49 males, 64 females). Student questionnaires were administered in a school based setting and consisted of self-report and peer report measures. Students completed questionnaires regarding self-esteem, self-concept, attribution styles, and peer popularity. Parents responded to mailings and completed a self-report …

A Survey Of Sexually Abusive Experiences In Childhood Amongst A Sample Of Third Level Students, Kevin Lalor

Articles

The following survey is an investigation into the nature, incidence and effects of childhood sexual abuse as experienced by a sample of third level students in Dublin. Unwanted sexual experiences whilst under the age of sixteen were surveyed. Response rates were high and indicate that unwanted sexual experiences prior to age sixteen are experienced by some 30% of female respondents. Indecent exposure was the most frequently reported experience. This figure falls considerably for contact and penetrative forms of abuse. Long term effects of non-contact forms of abuse were most frequently reported as embarrassment. More acute effects, such as suicidal tendencies, …

Knowledge And Attitudes Of Sexuality In The Elderly Among Educators Of Health Care Professionals, Joanne L. Chapman

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many elderly adults have fears and concerns regarding sexuality, including the impact of chronic disease on sexual function. Typically, society has negative attitudes toward elderly sexual expression with misconceptions, negative stereotyping and myths compounding ageist perceptions that the elderly become asexual with age. Thus knowledge of and attitudes toward sexuality in the elderly has become an area of interest over the past several decades. In an attempt to promote sexual expression as a right for the elderly and physiological changes viewed in terms of positive adjustment, White (1982) developed an instrument to determine knowledge of and attitudes towards sexuality of …

Emotion Altering Effects Of Research Participation, Matthew Dunsire

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Previous studies have suggested that participating in psychological research may temporarily amplify participants’ experience of positive or negative emotions (Daugherty & Lawrence. 1996). In the present research, 114 male and female university students completed either self-focused or non-self-focused questionnaires to investigate characteristics that may predispose some participants to positive or negative reactions following participation in research. Four hypotheses were examined: (a) A self-focused task compared to a non-self-focused task would significantly increase average levels of emotional arousal; (b) the amplification of emotional reactions would be greater in females than males (c) participants experiencing negative life events and who are less …

Affect Intensity And Affect Regulation In Prisoners With A History Of Self-Harm, Christina J. Kozar

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Prisoners with a history of self-harm have reported experiencing more anger (e.g., Hilbrand, Krystal, Sharpe, & Foster, 1994 ), and despair (e.g., Shea, 1993 ), and less ability to cope (e.g., Shea, 1993; Liebling, 1992) than prisoners with no history of self-harm. This suggests that intense negative affective experiences and less control over these states might be pervasive characteristics in individuals vulnerable to self-harm. The present study tested the hypotheses that high affect intensity, the tendency to experience both positive and negative emotional states intensely (Larsen & Diener, 1987), and deficits in negative affect regulation would be associated with self-harm …

The Utility Of The Anxiety Cluster Scale Of The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale To Identify Anxiety Problems In 10 Year Old Children, Jeremy Singer

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

It is widely accepted in the literature that internalised childhood psychopathology including anx1cty is best identified by child self-report, followed by observations by parents and then to a lesser extent, by teachers. Although anxiety scales are a useful way to quantify anxiety symptomatology and progress through treatment, changes to classification systems (e.g., DSM-111-R to DSM-IV) make their ability to screen for the presence of psychiatric problems difficult. This research looked at whether the Anxiety Cluster (AC) scale of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (PHCSCS) can be used to identify anxiety disorders in children. Two separate studies were conducted in the …

The Relative Importance Of Barriers To Cervical Cancer Screening In Older Women : A Review Of 140 Women And Their Pap Smear Providers, Nerida Beaumont

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Cervical cancer remains a significant cause of death in women. There is a notable age related decrease in levels of screening and women aged over 50 years with later, more invasive disease. One hundred and forty women aged between 50 and 69 years (M "'58.21 years) and 23 Pap smear providers completed a Cervical Cancer Screening Questionnaire designed to identify the relative importance of barriers to attendance for cervical screening, as well as providers own barriers and issues. Responsibility for health, familiarity with, and ratings of the usefulness of Pap smears were the major dimensions along which regular and non-regular …

The Effect Of Employment And Workers' Compensation Litigation On The Pain, Psychological State And Disability Of Chronic Back Pain Sufferers, P. B. Suter

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Previous research exploring the relationship between litigation status and the symptoms of the plaintiff has been inconsistent and limited by methodological dlfficulties. While Mendelson (1984, 1986, 1988) argued there was no difference In symptoms and rates of work return between litigating chronic pain patients and those not involved in the compensation system, others argued that work related injuries were maintained either by the plaintiffs' wish for monetary compensation (compensation neurosis), or by their involvement in the medico-legal process with the stress of the litigation slowing down the recuperative process (nomogenic influences). Dworkin and colleagues (1985) highlighted the importance of including …

Repetition Priming And Melody : Implicit Memory For Music, Jacqueline Landre

Theses : Honours

The present study investigated the existence of repetition priming for melody and the extent to which that priming would be affected by the manipulation of frequency. A group of 62 university students and 2 members of the public listened to 20 high frequency and 20 low frequency melodies in the first phase of a repetition priming experiment. Participants were required to name as many melodies as they could as quickly as possible. The same melodies were then re-presented immediately in the second phase of the experiment along with another group of 40 melodies matched in frequency to those in the …

The Perception Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Values : Is Value Incongruence Related To Social Distance?, Lauren Jennifer Breen

Theses : Honours

This review examines prejudicial actions directed towards outgroups as a function of personal values and the perception of the values held by other groups. Prejudice is a result of social and cognitive categorisation. Although it is well learned, prejudice is not inevitable, if individuals attend to and control their prejudicial thoughts. Pleasurable interaction, cooperation, equal status, and making humanitarian values conspicuous serve to reduce intergroup conflict. It was proposed that values motivate approach and avoidance behaviours directed at outgroups, and both belief congruence theory and expectance-value theory arc relevant in explaining such behaviour.

The Generalisability Of The Stages And Processes Of Change ; The Concurrent Validity Of The Stages And Processes Of Change, Suzanne E. Marko

Theses : Honours

The transtheorctical model of behaviour change is comprised of the stages of change and the processes of change. The stages explain when change occurs, and the processes outline how change occurs. This model has been influential in clinical practice in the areas of tobacco smoking, alcohol use, eating disorders, and exercise behaviour. This review focuses on the previous literature concerned with the transtheorctical model. Although the model is popular and used to tailor interventions, it has not yet been cross-culturally vaildated, or tested comprehensively in the field of illegal drug use. Further research is necessary to examine whether or not …

The Psychological Impact Of Long-Term Unemployment In Mature-Aged Men : Volunteer Work As A Moderating Variable, Ming Yeu

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Previous research has recognised the negative psychological distress associated with unemployment for older workers aged over 40 years, as they are considered to be more at risk of being unemployed for a longer duration than other age groups. Several moderating variables of the negative effects of unemployment such as age, length of unemployment and leisure participation have also been identified. In examining the experiences of unemployment with an Australian mature-aged group of men, this study also investigated the potential moderating effect of volunteer work participation that had been noted previously but had never been explored. One-hundred and eighteen men aged …