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Theses/Dissertations

2016

Social support

Articles 1 - 16 of 16

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Effect Of Social Anxiety On Social Support Behavior In Close Friendships, Marilyn Piccirillo Dec 2016

The Effect Of Social Anxiety On Social Support Behavior In Close Friendships, Marilyn Piccirillo

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quality of interpersonal relationships is a strong predictor of mental and physical health outcomes (Cacioppo, & Hawkley, 2003) and individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) report increased relationship impairment (Schneier et al., 1994). Evidence from the interpersonal literature suggests that individuals with SAD exhibit interpersonal constraint, in that they rate themselves as colder and more restricted in the amount of warmth they display with close others (Rodebaugh, Bielak, Vidovic, & Moscovitch, 2016). This study aimed to determine behavioral differences in the provision and receipt of support behaviors as a function of generalized SAD (GSAD). Participants (n = 92) and their …

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South Asian Women's Sexual Relationship Power: Examining The Role Of Sexism, Cultural Values Conflict, Discrimination, And Social Support, Chandni D. Shah Aug 2016

South Asian Women's Sexual Relationship Power: Examining The Role Of Sexism, Cultural Values Conflict, Discrimination, And Social Support, Chandni D. Shah

Open Access Dissertations

The lack of literature examining sexual experiences of South Asian women in dating relationships has important implications for the healthy development of long lasting romantic relationships. It is important to understand South Asian women’s relationship experiences in the context of power and sexism (interpersonal power framework; Pulerwitz, Gortmaker, & DeJong, 2000) and the role of specific sociopolitical factors (e.g., discrimination). Understanding South Asian women’s experiences of power in a sociopolitical context will help professionals when working with them to develop healthier sexual relationships through therapy outreach, and community programming. I used a correlational, quantitative study to examine the associations between …

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College Adjustment, Discrimination, And Social Support Among Students Of Color, Daniela Andrea Recabarren Aug 2016

College Adjustment, Discrimination, And Social Support Among Students Of Color, Daniela Andrea Recabarren

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite efforts to increase underrepresented student enrollment, Students of Color continue to have significantly lower college retention rates compared to their White counterparts on many U.S.college campuses. This study investigated associations between general ethnic discrimination, emotional adjustment to college, and attachment to college in Students of Color at one predominantly White public institution in theSoutheastern U.S. Students who were the first in their immediate family to attend college were compared to those with a parent who attended college. Social support from family and friends at home, as well as social integration in school were investigated as buffers of the impact …

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Life Balance In Adult Healthy Siblings Of Individuals With Childhood Cancer., Yolanda Williams Aug 2016

Life Balance In Adult Healthy Siblings Of Individuals With Childhood Cancer., Yolanda Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Siblings of children who were diagnosed with cancer in childhood experience significant stress and psychological difficulties as a result of the cancer. Furthermore, the needs of siblings have often been overlooked in the cancer literature, prompting the need for more studies. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the life balance and social support outcomes of adults who grew up in the household with a sibling that was diagnosed with cancer. The study sample consisted of 120 adult healthy siblings who grew up in a household with a sibling that was diagnosed with cancer prior to age 19. Participants …

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Social Support And Intimate Partnerships In African American Women With Breast Cancer, Tess Thompson May 2016

Social Support And Intimate Partnerships In African American Women With Breast Cancer, Tess Thompson

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study investigated social support in African American breast cancer patients in one Midwestern metropolitan area. The study includes a quantitative analysis of social support in 227 African American breast cancer patients participating in a quality of life study, as well as a qualitative component involving a subsample of 15 married participants. In the larger sample, growth curve models were used to assess factors contributing to initial levels of perceived social support and change in social support over time. Interviews with women in the qualitative study allowed an in-depth exploration of how breast cancer affected womens relationships with …

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Parenting Self-Efficacy In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Larene K. Smart Mar 2016

Parenting Self-Efficacy In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Larene K. Smart

Theses and Dissertations

Parenting self-efficacy is one factor identified as relevant to parent distress and child therapy outcomes. Theories for parenting self-efficacy suggest parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be at risk for lower parenting self-efficacy than other parents. Parents who have low parenting self-efficacy may then have higher risk for poor treatment outcomes. Previous researchers found inconsistent results related to parenting self-efficacy rates for parents of children with ASD. They suggested the results were due to sample sizes, measurement insensitivitiy, comparison groups, and the limited range of children's ages (Fields, 2006; Meirsschaut, Roeyers, and Warreyn, 2010; Palafox, 2004; and …

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The Moderating Effects Of Protective And Risk Factors On Outcomes For Behavioral Smoking Cessation Treatment, Holly Reid Jan 2016

The Moderating Effects Of Protective And Risk Factors On Outcomes For Behavioral Smoking Cessation Treatment, Holly Reid

Wayne State University Dissertations

The rate of cigarette smoking is three-fold higher among adults living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Autoimmune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) than in the general population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Relative to non-smoking HIV-positive adults, HIV-positive cigarette smokers have even higher mortality rates, more physical health problems, greater tobacco-related health disparities, lower quality of life, and more barriers to treatment. These barriers are often interrelated with the significantly higher rate of trauma and violence exposure reported in both cigarette smokers and persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA; CDC). Violence exposure not only predicts emotional distress and substance use, but also …

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An Interpersonal Model Of Depression: A Psychophysiological Perspective, Kelsey J. Pritchard Jan 2016

An Interpersonal Model Of Depression: A Psychophysiological Perspective, Kelsey J. Pritchard

ETD Archive

This study examined whether parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity predicts depression risk through excessive reassurance seeking (ERS) which subsequently erodes social support and generates stress. Recent theories suggest that the PNS evolved to regulate social interaction and that the PNS is associated with depression and interpersonal deficits. Therefore, PNS deficits may be associated to ERS, given its interpersonal function. Participants (N= 65) completed measures of ERS, interpersonal stressors, social support quality, depression symptoms, and a protocol that measured indices of the PNS (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) at rest and during a paced breathing task. Multiple mediator models …

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Delinquency, Depression, Religiosity, And Social Support In The Prediction Of Substance Use: Findings From Add Health, Nicholas Francesco Heimpel Jan 2016

Delinquency, Depression, Religiosity, And Social Support In The Prediction Of Substance Use: Findings From Add Health, Nicholas Francesco Heimpel

Departmental Honors Projects

Delinquency, depression, religiosity, and social support have been demonstrated to relate to substance use in adolescence. We examined relations between these factors and substance use (cigarette use, marijuana use, frequency of intoxication using alcohol, and lifetime substance use) using the National Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (ADD Health), a large-scale nationally representative epidemiological study (N = 6504). Our results suggested that: 1) in simple correlations, delinquency and depression appeared to be related to higher levels of all forms of substance use, whereas religiosity and social support appeared to be inversely related with all forms of substance use, 2) in …

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Loss Of Resources And Demoralization In The Chronically Ill: A Mediation Model, Maria Inês Torri Dischinger Jan 2016

Loss Of Resources And Demoralization In The Chronically Ill: A Mediation Model, Maria Inês Torri Dischinger

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In order to obtain a closer look into the psychosocial impact of chronic conditions, symptom severity, loss of resources, and demoralization were investigated through a mediation analysis. The function and implication of social support was also explored within the circumstances of chronic conditions. Lastly, symptom chronicity was probed as an influential element in the understanding of the consequences of being chronically ill. Participants were 200 men and women, with a mean age of 46 years, and the dataset came from the VOICE (Verification of Illness and Coping Experience) survey. The concepts of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and Demoralization Syndrome …

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"Just Because I'M An Only Child Doesn't Mean I Can't Have Siblings:" Psychological Kinship Within Social Support Networks, Alynn C. Hembrough Jan 2016

"Just Because I'M An Only Child Doesn't Mean I Can't Have Siblings:" Psychological Kinship Within Social Support Networks, Alynn C. Hembrough

Scripps Senior Theses

Pulling from the foundations of research on social support and resilience indicating that those who receive extensive social support are more resilient, this research, consisting of two studies, primarily examined the differences between individuals who are only children and individuals who have siblings in their formation of social support networks. While it is true that only children inherently have less immediate kin available, this research explored the formation of relationships in which non-kin come to be psychologically considered as kin, or psychological kinship. In Study 1, qualitative interviews were conducted in order to develop a working Kinship scale. Study 2, …

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Pathways From Childhood Abuse To Positive Adapation: The Moderating Roles Of Social Support And Coping Style, Sarah Elizabeth Cleary Jan 2016

Pathways From Childhood Abuse To Positive Adapation: The Moderating Roles Of Social Support And Coping Style, Sarah Elizabeth Cleary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies show that up to 50% of children worldwide are affected by physical, emotional, sexual abuse and/or neglect. While these traumatic events can have profound consequences on development across the lifespan, it is important to note that approximately 20-30% of childhood abuse survivors do not report negative impacts. One explanation for this difference in outcomes is the concept of resilience, defined as successful adaptation in spite of the experience of high-risk trauma. Many studies have been conducted to delineate factors fostering resilience. Some researchers argue that individuals' ability to achieve resilience is a direct result of the environment, while others …

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The Role Of Religiosity In The Development Of Obesity From Adolescence To Adulthood, Trini Gene Rangel Jan 2016

The Role Of Religiosity In The Development Of Obesity From Adolescence To Adulthood, Trini Gene Rangel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The development of obesity from adolescence to adulthood is not well understood, nor does the research support a multidimensional approach for this understanding. Studies have described primarily cross-sectional bivariate relationships between combinations of obesity, religiosity, depression, and social support, but it is still not known whether there is a relationship between adolescent religiosity, depression, and social support in the development of adult obesity or whether depression and social support mediate the religiosity-obesity relationship. The dynamic, multidimensional, functional model of wellness presented by Hawks was the basis for the spiritual, social, emotional, and physical interactions proposed in this study. The research …

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The Repertoire Of Understanding: The Linguistic Patterning Of Repetition And Alignment Within Supportive Conversations, Kaitlin Emily Cannava Jan 2016

The Repertoire Of Understanding: The Linguistic Patterning Of Repetition And Alignment Within Supportive Conversations, Kaitlin Emily Cannava

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores a fundamental feature of all human interaction, behavioral coordination. Since early work on motor mimicry, scholars of human communication have invested tremendous energy to discover patterns of behavioral adaptation and the impact these patterns have on individual and relational outcomes. Outcomes such as individual health and well-being, as well as relationship satisfaction and divorce are all contingent on the ability to adapt and coordinate actions (Niederhoffer & Pennebaker, 2002; Stehl et al., 2008; Kulesza et al., 2013; Ireland et al., 2011). Several decades of research have advanced our understanding of specific characteristics of supportive messages and their …

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Protective Psychosocial Factors And Trauma In Multiple Sclerosis Spousal/Partner Caregivers : Intersecting Roles And Interactional Influences, Alison J. Rivers Jan 2016

Protective Psychosocial Factors And Trauma In Multiple Sclerosis Spousal/Partner Caregivers : Intersecting Roles And Interactional Influences, Alison J. Rivers

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating, unpredictable, chronic illness for which many diagnosed individuals are cared for by their spouses or partners (e.g., McKeown, Porter-Armstrong, & Baxter, 2003). These MS spousal/partner caregivers are especially vulnerable to the deleterious outcomes of caregiving (e.g., Buhse, 2008; Corry & While, 2009). The present research examined hypothesized protective psychosocial factors and the impact of trauma in these unique caregivers through two cross-sectional studies (n=93 and n=62). Findings from Study One demonstrate that lower caregiver burden and higher dyadic adjustment were associated with improved caregiver mental health outcomes (Chapter 1). Study One also shows that …

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Stigma, Community Connectedness, And Social Support Among Trans Women Living With Hiv In Ontario: Findings From The Trans Pulse Project, Tanya D'Amours Jan 2016

Stigma, Community Connectedness, And Social Support Among Trans Women Living With Hiv In Ontario: Findings From The Trans Pulse Project, Tanya D'Amours

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Trans (transgender, transsexual, transitioned) individuals face numerous challenges to their health and well-being (Bauer, Hammond, Travers, Kaay, Hohenadel & Boyce, 2009). Trans women in particular face disproportionately high rates of negative health outcomes, including HIV. Trans women face intersecting stigmas, which result in transphobia, trans erasure, isolation, and other systemic barriers to their well-being (Logie, James, Tharao, & Loutfy, 2012a). Despite their elevated risk, trans women, particularly those living with HIV, are invisible, neglected or underrepresented in research (Logie, et al., 2012a). Research suggests that community connectedness and social support are factors that impact the wellness of marginalized people (Kertzner, …

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