Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 57

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Couple Implicit Rules For Facilitating Disclosure And Relationship Quality With Romantic Relational Aggression As A Mediator, Karl Nathan Meng Dec 2013

Couple Implicit Rules For Facilitating Disclosure And Relationship Quality With Romantic Relational Aggression As A Mediator, Karl Nathan Meng

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the association between couple implicit rules related to facilitating disclosure and marital quality with husband and wife romantic relational aggression as potential mediators. Couples (N-353 couples) who participated in the Flourishing Families Project, reported on their use of couple implicit rules related to disclosure. Results indicated that implicit rules for couple disclosure were positively related to marital quality for both husbands and wives. Those couples who reported more use of implicit rules related to disclosure were also likely to use less romantic relational aggression. In turn, both husband and wife romantic relational aggression was negatively related to …


The Relationship Between Insecure Attachment And Premarital Sexual Timing, Carly Ostler Dec 2013

The Relationship Between Insecure Attachment And Premarital Sexual Timing, Carly Ostler

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies are beginning to show evidence of marital problems for couples that have engaged in early premarital sexual activity compared to those who do not. Adult attachment theory plays an important role in explaining many kinds of distress for couples and helps explain sexual interaction, thus, in this study it is posited that attachment may influence sexual timing patterns. This study focuses on the relationship between insecure attachment styles and early premarital sexual timing. The sample consisted of 256 couples who took the Relationship Evaluation (RELATE) to measure their attachment styles and sexual timing while controlling for length of …


Infidelity And Forgiveness: Therapists' Views On Reconciliation And Restoration Of Trust Following Disclosure Of Infidelity, Miranda Mae Goldie Dec 2013

Infidelity And Forgiveness: Therapists' Views On Reconciliation And Restoration Of Trust Following Disclosure Of Infidelity, Miranda Mae Goldie

Theses and Dissertations

Infidelity is one of the most prevalent presenting problems in relational therapy. There are many conceptualizations of the healing process following infidelity and suggested interventions and treatment plans. Forgiveness is an essential part of relationship growth and healing interpersonal hurts. Reconciliation is relationship repair that can accompany forgiveness. In addition, restoring trust is essential to reconciliation. Means to accomplish rebuilding trust must be established. This study seeks to expand understanding of the treatment of infidelity specifically on the topics of forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration of trust through disclosure. The Forgiveness vs. Reconciliation and Trust Scale (FvRTS) was developed as a …


Couple Attachment And Sexual Desire Discrepancy: A Longitudinal Study Of Non-Clinical Married Couples At Mid-Life, Anthony Allen Hughes Dec 2013

Couple Attachment And Sexual Desire Discrepancy: A Longitudinal Study Of Non-Clinical Married Couples At Mid-Life, Anthony Allen Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Using latent growth curve modeling, this longitudinal study examined the patterns of the discrepancy between desired and actual frequency of sexual intercourse for 331 married couples over a period of 5 years. In addition, couple insecure attachment and control variables such as age, length of relationship, income, race, and education were used to predict each partner's sexual desire discrepancy (SDD) and its change over the 5 year time period. Participants were asked to report their actual frequency of sexual intercourse and their desired frequency in each wave of data collection. Discrepancy scores were created for each year by subtracting the …


Service Provider And Beneficiary Perceptions Of Collectivist Domestic Violence Social Issues, Annie Mohsen Samhouri Dec 2013

Service Provider And Beneficiary Perceptions Of Collectivist Domestic Violence Social Issues, Annie Mohsen Samhouri

Theses and Dissertations

In this research I have focused on beneficiary and service providers' perceptions toward Arab social obstacles to help-seeking, appropriate intervention methods and obstacles to reintegration into the community after seeking assistance. Through semi-structured interviews and content analysis of local policies, laws and specific service offerings, I sought to contribute to the limited literature that explores how formal institutions that originate from a Western context are adapted to meet the unique needs of Arab victims of domestic violence. I found that the main social obstacles to help-seeking were attributed to a dearth of knowledge about existing services, a lack of confidence …


Adolescent Self-Disclosure And Father Involvement Transactions Across Early To Midadolescence, Stephanie Blickfeldt Dec 2013

Adolescent Self-Disclosure And Father Involvement Transactions Across Early To Midadolescence, Stephanie Blickfeldt

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the transactional relationship between father involvement and adolescent self-disclosure from early to midadolescence. Four hundred and ninety-six adolescents reported on their general self-disclosure to fathers, and mothers reported on father involvement behaviors and maternal involvement behaviors at ages 11, 13, and 15. Results from a longitudinal cross-lagged model indicated a unidirectional relationship from father involvement to child self-disclosure in both early and midadolescence, and a transactional relationship from adolescent self-disclosure to father involvement in early adolescence. A multiple group analysis by gender revealed that both unidirectional and transactional relationships were significant for boys only. Future research efforts …


Factors Relating To Romantic Relationship Experiences For Emerging Adults, Sabra Elyse Johnson Oct 2013

Factors Relating To Romantic Relationship Experiences For Emerging Adults, Sabra Elyse Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This study of 1,492 emerging adults focuses on the relationships among negative family of origin experiences, attitudes about marriage, positive communication and the influence of past romantic relationships. The data used in this study comes from a survey questionnaire, READY (see www.relate-institute.org) completed by emerging adult participants (18-25). Results from the Structural Equation Model showed both aversive family of origin experiences and negative beliefs about marriage have a significant and negative influence on perceptions of romantic relationship experiences. Also, positive communication has a significant and positive influence on perceptions of past romantic relationships. However, positive communication did not mediate the …


Megacities: A Survey And Prognosis, Laina Farhat-Holzman Oct 2013

Megacities: A Survey And Prognosis, Laina Farhat-Holzman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.


Europe As A Civilization: The Revolution Of The Middle Ages & The Rise Of The Universities, Toby E. Huff Oct 2013

Europe As A Civilization: The Revolution Of The Middle Ages & The Rise Of The Universities, Toby E. Huff

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.


David J. Rosner, Conservatism And Crisi, The Anti-Modernist Perspective In Twentieth-Century German Philosophy., Laina Farhat-Holzman Oct 2013

David J. Rosner, Conservatism And Crisi, The Anti-Modernist Perspective In Twentieth-Century German Philosophy., Laina Farhat-Holzman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.


Richard Lynn And Tatu Vanhanen, Intelligence: A Unifying Concept For The Social Sciences., Michael Andregg Oct 2013

Richard Lynn And Tatu Vanhanen, Intelligence: A Unifying Concept For The Social Sciences., Michael Andregg

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.


Power Of Shame: The Moderating Effects Of Parental And Peer Connection On The Relationship Between Adolescent Shame And Depression, Self-Esteem, And Hope, Alexander L. Hsieh Aug 2013

Power Of Shame: The Moderating Effects Of Parental And Peer Connection On The Relationship Between Adolescent Shame And Depression, Self-Esteem, And Hope, Alexander L. Hsieh

Theses and Dissertations

Past research and views on shame have indicated that shame has detrimental effects for adolescent development. Little research has focused on the pathways in which shame may affect adolescent traits. Even less studies examine what variables may moderate the effects of shame. Using adolescent self-report questionnaires, this study examined the relationship between adolescent shame and depression, self-esteem, and hope. In addition, this study examined the moderating effect maternal, paternal, and best friend relationships have between shame and adolescent outcome variables. A structural equation moderation model analysis was fit to data from 307 two-parent families. The average age of adolescents for …


Marital Satisfaction And Depressive Symptoms In China, Richard B. Miller, Tiffany M. Mason, Jerevie M. Canlas, Dahua Wang, David A. Nelson, Craig H. Hart Jul 2013

Marital Satisfaction And Depressive Symptoms In China, Richard B. Miller, Tiffany M. Mason, Jerevie M. Canlas, Dahua Wang, David A. Nelson, Craig H. Hart

Faculty Publications

Although there is substantial evidence that low marital satisfaction is a significant risk factor for depression, little research has examined this relationship in cultures outside of the U.S. and Europe. The validity of the marital discord model of depression in Chinese culture was tested by studying 391 couples living in Beijing and Hangzhou, China. Results of structural equation modeling using an actor–partner interdependence model strategy indicated that husbands’ and wives’ marital satisfaction was significantly predictive of their own depressive symptoms. In addition, wives’ marital satisfaction significantly predicted husbands’ depressive symptoms. These results provide evidence that the marital discord model of …


The Paradox Of Social Capital And The Rural Poor's Relationship With Their Communities, Brady A. Currit Jul 2013

The Paradox Of Social Capital And The Rural Poor's Relationship With Their Communities, Brady A. Currit

Theses and Dissertations

Is increased access to social capital associated with a lower likelihood of poverty? Using data from a survey of nearly 10,000 residents of Iowa taken in 1994 and again in 2004, this study seeks to understand what types of social capital are associated with higher or lower likelihood of poverty at both the community and individual levels. Results suggest that higher bonding social capital at both levels is associated with a higher likelihood of poverty. The inverse of this relationship is found between bridging social capital and poverty. Although high bonding is generally an asset, when combined with low levels …


Should I Stay Or Should I Go?: Race, Education And Statusattainment Before The Nba, Christian Evers Yost Jul 2013

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?: Race, Education And Statusattainment Before The Nba, Christian Evers Yost

Theses and Dissertations

Extracurricular activities have long been recognized as a socializing agent fostering subsequent life achievements and success orientations in the status attainment process. In particular, minorities and disadvantaged high school students who may not succeed in traditional academic classes benefit greatly from extracurricular activities, especially sports. In the case of basketball, young Black males are more likely to both participate in basketball as an extracurricular activity and pursue a career as a professional basketball player than their White peers, even to the detriment of their formal education. This thesis uses the Wisconsin Status-Attainment model as a framework for examining the extent …


Conflict Resolution Styles As Mediators Of Female Childhood Sexual Abuse Experience And Couple Relationship Satisfaction And Stability In Adulthood, Ashlee Elizabeth Sloan Jul 2013

Conflict Resolution Styles As Mediators Of Female Childhood Sexual Abuse Experience And Couple Relationship Satisfaction And Stability In Adulthood, Ashlee Elizabeth Sloan

Theses and Dissertations

Post-traumatic stress theory applied to the experience of female incestuous childhood sexual abuse survivors (ICSA) suggests that the trauma may result in negative psychological consequences affecting relationships in adulthood. This study sought to explore the relational consequences of ICSA, specifically focusing on conflict resolution styles (CRS), relationship satisfaction, and relationship stability. This research used data from the RELATionship Evaluation questionnaire. Participants included 487 heterosexual couples in which only the female partner experienced ICSA compared to a comparison group of 1827 couples in which neither partner experienced ICSA. Analyses tested for differences in the frequencies of reported CRS (Gottman 1994) for …


A Longitudinal View Of The Association Between Therapist Behaviors And Couples' In-Session Process: An Observational Pilot Study Of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Lori Kay Schade Jul 2013

A Longitudinal View Of The Association Between Therapist Behaviors And Couples' In-Session Process: An Observational Pilot Study Of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Lori Kay Schade

Theses and Dissertations

This is a longitudinal couples therapy process study using coded data from eleven couples to identify which therapist behaviors (warmth, listener responsiveness, communication, dominance) influenced positive couples exchanges (warmth and listener responsiveness) over time in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). A mixed effects model was used to examine within- and between-individual variability. Men and women were modeled separately. A series of two-level multilevel models of change were examined, where Time is Level 1 and Individual is Level 2. Results indicated no significant relationship between variables of therapist warmth, listener responsiveness, communication, and dominance with couple listener responsiveness. Where client warmth …


Attachment And Covert Relational Aggression In Marriagewith Shame As A Potential Moderating Variable: A Two Wave Panel Study, Charity Elaine Clifford Jun 2013

Attachment And Covert Relational Aggression In Marriagewith Shame As A Potential Moderating Variable: A Two Wave Panel Study, Charity Elaine Clifford

Theses and Dissertations

Using a two-wave APIM Structural Equation Model, this study investigated how husband and wife attachment styles predict husband and wife covert relational aggression one year later with husband and wife shame as potential moderating variables. Data was taken from 308 married couples in waves three and four of the Flourishing Families project using self-report and partner report of spouse questionnaires. Findings showed that an individual's attachment insecurity predicts their use of relational aggression. Wives' relational aggression is predicted by an increase in husbands' relational aggression. An increase in wives' insecure attachment had less of an impact on husbands' relationally aggressive …


Stability And Change In Women's Personality Across The Life Course, Carly D. Lebaron Jun 2013

Stability And Change In Women's Personality Across The Life Course, Carly D. Lebaron

Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to examine change and stability of personality in a sample of women over the course of 35 years. Existing research is mixed regarding whether or not personality changes over time or whether it remains stable. Using a sample of 187 women tracked over four time points (approximately 10 years between each time point), change and stability in openness to experience, extraversion, and neuroticism was tested using a stacked multilevel growth curve analysis. Four life course events (transition to parenthood, change in marital status, wife entering or leaving the workforce, and husband retiring) were added as predictors …


Links Between High Economic Distress And School Engagement As Mediated Through Negative Marital Interaction And Parental Involvement, Lauren Alyssa Bone Barnes Jun 2013

Links Between High Economic Distress And School Engagement As Mediated Through Negative Marital Interaction And Parental Involvement, Lauren Alyssa Bone Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

A review of research on family economic distress and its association with teen well-being shows a clear need to expand our knowledge about the connections between economic distress and key teen outcomes. Economic distress can act as an unexpected negative shock to the family system and can influence parent relationship quality, functioning, and involvement in children's lives. In turn, changes in systemic quality, functioning, and involvement can impact adolescents positively or negatively. Using observational coding and questionnaire self-report, this study examined the relationship between economic distress and negative marital interaction and the impact this has on parental involvement as a …


Family Matters: Operationalization Of Intergenerational Educational Background, Elizabeth Warnick Jun 2013

Family Matters: Operationalization Of Intergenerational Educational Background, Elizabeth Warnick

Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to replicate and extend Roksa and Potter's (2011) analysis of the association between intergenerational family background and academic outcomes by utilizing the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 to examine alternative methods for operationalizing maternal educational background. Results indicate a positive association between maternal upward mobility and adolescent academic achievement. Measures of mobility affect adolescent achievement even when controlling for both mother's and maternal grandmother's educational attainment. Future research should examine the differential impact of extreme mobility, specifically downward mobility, on adolescent academic outcomes.


Emotional Involvement With Grandparents As A Key Component Of Prosocial Development: Testing Empathic Concern As A Mediator, Kathryn Leigh Bunnell Gustafson Jun 2013

Emotional Involvement With Grandparents As A Key Component Of Prosocial Development: Testing Empathic Concern As A Mediator, Kathryn Leigh Bunnell Gustafson

Theses and Dissertations

Current research shows that grandparents have made significant contributions to at-risk families. However, few studies have examined the benefits of grandparenting in non-at-risk populations. This study considered whether emotional involvement with a grandparent is associated with prosocial behavior in adolescent grandchildren and examines the mediating role of empathy and perspective taking. A longitudinal sample of 500 participants were taken from waves two thru five of the Flourishing Families Project (FFP) and used to construct a latent growth curve model. Results indicate that emotional involvement with a grandparent was positively linked with initial levels of prosocial behavior in grandchildren. Furthermore, results …


Division Of Labor And Marital Satisfaction In China And Taiwan, Bryan C. Kubricht Jun 2013

Division Of Labor And Marital Satisfaction In China And Taiwan, Bryan C. Kubricht

Theses and Dissertations

There is evidence that household division of labor is associated with marital satisfaction among Chinese populations. However, little research has compared different Chinese societies, as well as non-rural and rural regions. This study compared the division of household labor, and its association with marital satisfaction, between China and Taiwan, between non-rural and rural regions, and between males and females using data from a large, multinational study of countries in East Asia. The moderating effect of gender role ideology was examined as a potential moderating variable, as well. Overall, division of household labor was significantly associated with marital satisfaction. However, gender …


The Effect Of Prenatal And Postnatal Care On Childhood Obesity, Michael M. O. Seipel, Kevin Shafer Jun 2013

The Effect Of Prenatal And Postnatal Care On Childhood Obesity, Michael M. O. Seipel, Kevin Shafer

Faculty Publications

Childhood obesity continues to be a major public health problem in the United States. If this problem is unresolved, some children will be at risk for disorders such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer and will become a high economic and social burden for society. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Child and Young Adult sample (N = 6,643), this study examined the relationship between the effect of pre- and postnatal characteristics and obesity. The findings of this study show that the probability of childhood obesity can be lessened if pregnant women do not smoke and …


The Relationship Between Video Game Use And Couple Attachment Behaviors In Committed Romantic Relationships, Jamie Mcclellan Smith Jun 2013

The Relationship Between Video Game Use And Couple Attachment Behaviors In Committed Romantic Relationships, Jamie Mcclellan Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines whether the single or shared leisure activity of video gaming or a report of it as a problem is negatively related to couple attachment behaviors (accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement). The model suggests that individual frequency of violent video game use, individual frequency of nonviolent video game use, and couple video game use frequency predict negative couple attachment behaviors. In addition, video game playing that is perceived as a problem in the relationship serves as a mediator variable in the model. Data were collected using the Relationship Evaluation questionnaire (RELATE). The sample includes 2,112 couples who reported seriously …


Couples' Experience Of Attachment-Related Change In Context Of Couple-Centered, Enactment-Based Therapy Process And Therapist-Centered Therapy Process: A Qualitative Study, James Waid Ballard Jun 2013

Couples' Experience Of Attachment-Related Change In Context Of Couple-Centered, Enactment-Based Therapy Process And Therapist-Centered Therapy Process: A Qualitative Study, James Waid Ballard

Theses and Dissertations

Enactments consist of episodes of direct couple engagement being carefully monitored and coached by the therapist. Enactments have been identified and studied as a potential common factor in marriage and family therapy. Attachment security is considered to be a foundational marker of marital health. This study explored what role enactments play in promoting attachment-related outcomes in therapy. A qualitative group hermeneutic approach was used to analyze the interviews of twelve participants (six couples) who had participated in six experimental sessions: three sessions with a preponderance of therapist-centered process and three of enactment-based process. The results of this analysis provide a …


Attachment Behaviors As Mediators Between Family-Of-Origin Quality And Couple Communication Quality In Marriage: Implications For Couples Therapy, Darin Justin Knapp Jun 2013

Attachment Behaviors As Mediators Between Family-Of-Origin Quality And Couple Communication Quality In Marriage: Implications For Couples Therapy, Darin Justin Knapp

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the mediating impact of couples' attachment behaviors on the relationship between poor quality family-of-origin experiences and marital communication quality. The couple data for this study was collected from the Relationship Evaluation (RELATE) database (see www.relate-institute.org). An Actor Partner Interdependence Model using structural equation modeling was used to evaluate 261 marriage relationships. Results indicated that the relationships between family-of-origin experiences and communication quality are significantly related, with more family-of-origin problems associated with poorer positive communication skills. When attachment behaviors (accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement) were added to the model, it significantly mediated the relationship. Implications for clinicians treating couples …


Shame Not The Same For Different Styles Of Blame: Shame As A Mediating Variable For Severity Of Childhood Sexual Abuse And Trauma Symptoms In Three Attribution Of Blame Groups, Tabitha Nicole Webster Jun 2013

Shame Not The Same For Different Styles Of Blame: Shame As A Mediating Variable For Severity Of Childhood Sexual Abuse And Trauma Symptoms In Three Attribution Of Blame Groups, Tabitha Nicole Webster

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the role of internalized shame in mediating the relationship between severity of childhood sexual abuse and adult symptoms in three groups based on attribution of blame. The random community sample of 318 female survivors completed the Trauma Symptom Checklist-40 (Briere, 1996), Internalized Shame Scale (Cook, 2001), questions about frequency of abuse, duration, and specific characteristics (no physical contact to vaginal/anal intercourse with force) and the degree to which they blamed self, fate, or perpetrator. It was hypothesized that severity (measured by abuse characteristics, frequency, and duration) would predict symptoms (measured by subscales of dissociation, anxiety, sexual problems, …


Sexual Desire Discrepancy: A Dyadic Longitudinal Study, Anthony A. Hughes, James Harper Apr 2013

Sexual Desire Discrepancy: A Dyadic Longitudinal Study, Anthony A. Hughes, James Harper

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Using questionnaires, self-report, and partner report of spouse, this five year longitudinal investigation examined the growth trajectory of the sexual desire discrepancy (SDD) of married partners within midlife, with insecure attachment at time 1 as a predictor. Findings showed that insecure attachment was a significant predictor of wives intercept but not for husbands. Insecure attachment wasn't a significant predictor of either partner's slope. As husbands SDD score changed, their growth across time had an inverse change. Husband slope and intercept had an inverse correlation. Wives intercept and husband intercept correlated or changed together. Wife slope and husband intercept had an …


Book Reviews, Laina Farhat-Holzman, Bertil Haggman, Pedro Geiger, Michael Andregg Apr 2013

Book Reviews, Laina Farhat-Holzman, Bertil Haggman, Pedro Geiger, Michael Andregg

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.