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All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

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Full-Text Articles in Clinical Psychology

Mental Health Of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Heterosexual, And Questioning Youth In Rural, Micropolitian, And Metropolitan Regions In Minnesota: Assessing Internalizing And Externalizing Self-Report Behaviors, Jessica Louann Jorgenson Jan 2016

Mental Health Of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Heterosexual, And Questioning Youth In Rural, Micropolitian, And Metropolitan Regions In Minnesota: Assessing Internalizing And Externalizing Self-Report Behaviors, Jessica Louann Jorgenson

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Individuals identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and questioning or unsure are often at greater risk of developing psychopathology. Minnesota youth, grades 9 and 11, completed the Minnesota Student Survey in 2013. Data were analyzed to ascertain differences within the aforementioned sexual minority groups as well as comparisons to heterosexual youth on questions adapted from the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs Short Screener (GAIN-SS). The GAIN-SS consists of self-reported items regarding internalizing and externalizing behaviors. In the present study, bisexual youth reported the most externalizing behaviors and the fewest internalizing behaviors. Heterosexual youth reported the fewest externalizing behaviors, but the most …


The Effect Of Clinician Hardiness On Posttraumatic Growth And Trauma Based On Vicarious Trauma Exposure, Maria Anne Stevens Jan 2015

The Effect Of Clinician Hardiness On Posttraumatic Growth And Trauma Based On Vicarious Trauma Exposure, Maria Anne Stevens

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There is a gap in the literature that examines posttraumatic growth outcomes in clinical psychologists. Additionally, few studies have explored personality characteristics that can mitigate negative psychological outcomes and foster growth. This study examined if the same model of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) would be found in clinical psychologists who work with trauma as those who have experienced a traumatic event. Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) indicated moderate model fit. Additionally, the study assessed whether the relationship between cumulative Vicarious Trauma Exposure (VTE) and Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), and cumulative VTE and PTG would depend on the moderator hardiness, but no significant …


Hook Up Culture: Changing The Structure Of Future Relationships?, Elise Woik Jan 2015

Hook Up Culture: Changing The Structure Of Future Relationships?, Elise Woik

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Hook up culture is a relatively new phenomenon that is reported to be occurring rampantly on college campuses across the nation. Research tends to focus on the negative implications of hook up culture and the impact it has on college students' well-being. There is limited research exploring if hook up behavior in college is influencing relationship structure in later life, as would be demonstrated by individuals engaging in consensual non-monogamy practices. The present study examined college students' relationship practices to assess if their current relationship status and relationship practices in the past year align with their ideal, future relationship. Results …


The Difference In Perception Of Gerotranscendence Between College Students And Healthy, Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Duc Viet Lai Jan 2014

The Difference In Perception Of Gerotranscendence Between College Students And Healthy, Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Duc Viet Lai

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Within the field of gerontology, some notable attempts to explain the aging process include activity theory, disengagement theory, Erikson's eight stages model, and socioemotional selectivity theory. The theory of gerotranscendence, recently developed by Lars Tornstam (1989), incorporates some aspects of these theories, and seeks to provide an overarching theme to the process of aging. The theory of gerotranscendence explains a shift in meta-perspective that a person experiences as they live, from a more materialistic and pragmatic view of the world to a more cosmic and transcendent one. Corresponding with this shift, the gerotranscendent individual exhibits certain behaviors, some of which …


Symptom Severity, Treatment Acceptability, And Motivational Predictors Related To Patient Improvement For Insomnia, Shelby Marie Afflerbach Jan 2014

Symptom Severity, Treatment Acceptability, And Motivational Predictors Related To Patient Improvement For Insomnia, Shelby Marie Afflerbach

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With the widespread presence of sleep disorders in the United States, especially insomnia, it is pertinent to investigate beliefs that patients have about insomnia, symptom severity, and treatment acceptability in order to assess patients' motivation for behavioral change. Participants in this archival study were thirty-one patients seeking help for sleep-related issues, whom were primarily from a Midwestern metropolitan area. Patients had completed pre-treatment measures that assessed insomnia symptoms, outcomes, treatment acceptability, and willingness to change and one post-treatment measure assessing insomnia outcomes. Because the purpose of the present study was to examine whether these variables predict patient improvement (higher scores …


The Influence Of Father-Child Relationship On Adolescents' Mental Health, Yea Seul Pyun Jan 2014

The Influence Of Father-Child Relationship On Adolescents' Mental Health, Yea Seul Pyun

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There is a lack of studies focused on fathers despite of the growing attention on the importance of father's role in children and adolescents' mental health. The current study examined the influence of father-child relationship on marginalized adolescents' internalizing problems and inattentive/hyperactive behaviors. Participants were 48 adolescents recruited through the Youth Voice community program, who completed self-report questionnaires. The results indicated that adolescents who had better relationships with their fathers had lower levels of internalizing problems and inattentive/hyperactive behaviors. Older adolescents had higher symptoms of internalizing problems than younger adolescents. However, age was not associated with internalizing problems and inattentive/hyperactive …


The Initial Response And Behavioral Patterns Exhibited By An Officer To A Weapon Being Drawn In A Traffic Stop Simulation, Samantha Josephine Tupy Jan 2014

The Initial Response And Behavioral Patterns Exhibited By An Officer To A Weapon Being Drawn In A Traffic Stop Simulation, Samantha Josephine Tupy

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Traffic stops are one of the most frequent forms of interaction between law enforcement officers and civilians. The traffic stop has been referred to as a "routine traffic stop" when it is not a known felonious traffic stop; however, routine would imply that there is a predictable, unchanging, and safe standard that could be systematically applied to every stop. Traffic stops may present many unforeseen dangers, highlighting the importance of thorough training. Ninety-four officer volunteers completed a traffic stop training simulation included in this archival study. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the initial response, as well as …


The Effects Of Geriatric Sexual Orientation On Caregiver Reactions To Resident Sexual Behavior Within Long-Term Care Facilities, Andrew Jonathan Ahrendt Jan 2014

The Effects Of Geriatric Sexual Orientation On Caregiver Reactions To Resident Sexual Behavior Within Long-Term Care Facilities, Andrew Jonathan Ahrendt

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Within the paucity of literature regarding older adult sexuality, a larger dearth exists concerning biases of long-term care facility staff toward gay and lesbian older adult residents. Prior literature has documented that LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) individuals' perceive that they do not receive the same quality of care as that of heterosexual individuals within long-term care facilities. Thus researchers aimed to evaluate whether these biases truly exist within care facilities that can prevent holistic care from being comprehensively provided to everyone regardless of sexual orientation. 153 residential care facility staff members from two separate facilities read one of …


The Use Of Video Self-Modeling To Treat Public Speaking Anxiety, Alicia Kruger Jan 2013

The Use Of Video Self-Modeling To Treat Public Speaking Anxiety, Alicia Kruger

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The current thesis is The Use of Video Self-Modeling to Treat Public Speaking Anxiety by Alicia Kruger and is for partial fulfillment of a Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology at Minnesota State University, Mankato in Mankato, Minnesota. The study was completed in May, 2013 and attempts to evaluate the effect of video self-modeling (VSM) on public speaking anxiety. VSM is a form of social learning where the individual serves as his own model for vicarious learning. The Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker was administered to 101 psychology undergraduates to screen for public speaking anxiety. Eleven participants …


Role Of Health Behaviors In Sexual Quality Of Life Among Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Survivors, Keagan Lee Mcpherson Jan 2013

Role Of Health Behaviors In Sexual Quality Of Life Among Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Survivors, Keagan Lee Mcpherson

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Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients are a population increasingly characterized by survivorship. A psychosocial outcome integral to overall quality of life and optimal survivorship outcomes is sexual quality of life (SQOL). In this arena, HSCT patients' prognostics are markedly grim. Though examinations of variables that affect overall survivorship in HSCT patients are relatively novel, SQOL outcomes have still received a disproportionately minimal amount of focus both in research and practice. Because health behaviors and their correlates are implicated in SQOL outcomes in the general population as well as survivorship and overall QOL outcomes in HSCT patients, inquiring about the …


The Efficacy Of The Girls On The Run Program To Improve Self-Worth, Body Image, And Behavioral And Emotional Functioning: A Longitudinal Study, Morgan Marie Ames Jan 2013

The Efficacy Of The Girls On The Run Program To Improve Self-Worth, Body Image, And Behavioral And Emotional Functioning: A Longitudinal Study, Morgan Marie Ames

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Girls on the Run is an after-school program for girls ages 8-13 that is focused on improving physical and mental wellbeing. Previous research has demonstrated some utility in improving mental health, especially as it relates to self-esteem and body image. The current study focused on the longitudinal analysis of girls in this program to determine how long they need to be in this program to gain the most benefits in three key areas of mental wellbeing: body image satisfaction, global self-worth (a facet of self-esteem), and behavioral and emotional functioning. The results indicate that, in this sample from a small …


Differences Between Core And Animal Reminder Disgust Elicitation On A Core Disgust Avoidance Task--A Replication With Modifications, Matthew Schumann Jan 2013

Differences Between Core And Animal Reminder Disgust Elicitation On A Core Disgust Avoidance Task--A Replication With Modifications, Matthew Schumann

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Compred to other emotions, there has been a lack of research on disgust as it relates to psychopathology. Of the extant research, disgust has been shown to be implicated in various anxiety disorders and consist of three domains: core, animal-reminder, and contamination disgust. There is evidence that these domains are correlated with disgust-relevant anxiety disorders, and this sensitivity to specific disgust domains have different topographical presentations. This study aims to determine if priming participants with different domain-specific videos (core, animal-reminder, neutral) and then completing a disgust-related behavioral avoidance task that is specific to the core domain, will lead to greater …


Empirical Evaluation Of A Home Visiting Intervention Targeting Immigrant And Refugee Children, Jenna Marie Miller Jan 2013

Empirical Evaluation Of A Home Visiting Intervention Targeting Immigrant And Refugee Children, Jenna Marie Miller

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Ready2Learn is a home visiting program that strives to improve the developmental outcomes in children of recent immigrant and refugee families. The program educates the parents on developmentally appropriate activities that they can implement in the home to stimulate the development in their child. To this date, no researchers have evaluated the effectiveness of this program. Researchers collected data on the developmental outcomes at the start of the child's participation in the program and after six months of receiving the home visiting services by using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Developmental outcomes were collected for five different domains: Communication, Gross …


The Puzzle Of Paradoxical Insomnia, Kristina Peltz Jan 2013

The Puzzle Of Paradoxical Insomnia, Kristina Peltz

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The current study investigated differences in objective sleep measures and subjective sleep measures between people with paradoxical insomnia and people with accurate perceptions of sleep, finding that sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset time significantly predicted whether someone would have paradoxical insomnia. There were no significant differences in sleep structure between groups as previous research has suggested. The study also examined differences in personality factors, attitudes toward sleep, and insomnia severity ratings, finding that people with paradoxical insomnia had more dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and higher insomnia severity ratings, but no significant personality differences. Together, these findings suggest …


The Use Of Applications On Mobile Devices In A Midwestern Population, Sherry Werkmeister Jan 2013

The Use Of Applications On Mobile Devices In A Midwestern Population, Sherry Werkmeister

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Mobile phone technology has increased over the past decade so much that most of the population owns a smart phone or a tablet device. Many applications can be downloaded on these devices. However, limited research exists examining the efficacy and effectiveness of these applications. In addition, attrition rates for these studies are extremely high. This study explored characteristics of the population who would be willing to use an application for help. College students (N=836) in a Midwestern metropolitan area were surveyed to determine if alcohol consumption or depressive symptoms influence an individual's willingness to use an application as an adjunct …


Memory Priming In Elderly Individuals Diagnosed With Dementia, Jessica Lee Deselms Jan 2012

Memory Priming In Elderly Individuals Diagnosed With Dementia, Jessica Lee Deselms

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The purpose of the current study was to examine the efficacy of a novel memory enhancement procedure for individuals with dementia named "memory priming." Three elderly individuals with a diagnosis of dementia participated in the study. Baseline procedures involved identifying low-probability items that served as targets for the intervention and moderate-probability questions that served as control items. A variation of a reversal design was implemented to compare three different conditions: the memory priming intervention and two control conditions that involved reading aloud and a watching a video. The results of the study indicated that individuals with moderate-to-severe memory impairment do …


Internal Consistency Of The Self-Perception Profile For Children: Using Covariance Structure Modeling To Overcome The Limitations Of Cronbach's Α, Ian Cero Jan 2012

Internal Consistency Of The Self-Perception Profile For Children: Using Covariance Structure Modeling To Overcome The Limitations Of Cronbach's Α, Ian Cero

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Self-perception is linked to a variety of psychosocial outcomes and its measurement has become a priority across a several disciplines. The Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPP-C) is commonly utilized to measure both global self worth and several important sub-domains of self-perception. Although much research has suggested this instrument possesses good internal consistency, previous investigations have primarily employed Cronbach's α; to estimate the stability of responding across items. This represents an important limitation, as α; is vulnerable to mis-estimation in the presence of correlated errors and non-τ-equivalent indicators, neither of which have been ruled out for the SPP-C. The present investigation …


The Backpack Food Program's Effects On Self-Reported Hunger And On-Task Behavior, Meghan E. Ecker Jan 2012

The Backpack Food Program's Effects On Self-Reported Hunger And On-Task Behavior, Meghan E. Ecker

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Variations of the BackPack Food Program are implemented in cities and states throughout the nation, however little is known regarding the effects that providing this food has on student performance in school. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the BackPack Food Program's effectiveness in combating student's hunger over the weekends and school breaks, thus decreasing student's self-reported hunger levels. Additionally, this study attempted to analyze the program's effects on student's on-task behavior in the classroom. Over the course of three semesters, hunger surveys were evaluated for 82 students and observations of on-task behavior were recorded for 52 students. …


Trust In The Mentor-Youth Relationship And Its Correlates With Frequency Of Contact, Parental Involvement, And Academic Improvements, Emily Jane Ness Jan 2012

Trust In The Mentor-Youth Relationship And Its Correlates With Frequency Of Contact, Parental Involvement, And Academic Improvements, Emily Jane Ness

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Community mentoring programs target at-risk youth with the aim of providing them with a positive, stable adult presence in their lives. Relationship quality of the mentors and mentees has been linked to multiple external factors and youth outcomes. This study investigated mentor-mentee relationship quality (i.e., youth's perceived trust in his or her mentor) and the associations between the amount of time the pair spent together per week, parents' level of involvement in planning activities between their child and their mentor, and youth's improvement in commitment to learning. The correlations between trust and time, and between trust and commitment to learning …


Devaluing Sex To Cope With Anxiety: A Comparative Investigation Of Sexual Delay Discounting With High And Low Socially Phobic Populations, Miranda N. Bretz Jan 2012

Devaluing Sex To Cope With Anxiety: A Comparative Investigation Of Sexual Delay Discounting With High And Low Socially Phobic Populations, Miranda N. Bretz

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Social phobia is a crippling mental disorder in which social situations are avoided or endured with intense fear (American Psychiatric Association, 2000); including, but not limited to, sexual interactions with others (Bodinger et al., 2002). Research suggests that sexual functioning disturbances are commonly present in those with social phobia (Bodinger et al., 2002; Kafka & Hennen, 2002; Kashdan et al., 2011; Mick & Hollander, 2006). Thus, it is important for the practicing clinician to be aware of the possible differences in sexual functioning in this population. The present study assessed the valuing rates of hypothetical sexual experiences in a high …


Determining Musical Preferences In Persons With Dementia: Comparing Caregiver Options To Stimulus Preference Assessment, Eva Christine Igler Jan 2012

Determining Musical Preferences In Persons With Dementia: Comparing Caregiver Options To Stimulus Preference Assessment, Eva Christine Igler

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The music therapy literature supports the use of individualized music in order to reduce problem behaviors among individuals with moderate to severe dementia; however, these interventions frequently rely on family members and/or staff to choose preferred music. Family members and caregivers are often inaccurate when choosing preferred stimuli for cognitively impaired individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine if family members and caregivers could accurately identify the preferred music of individuals with dementia. A single stimulus preference assessment was used to empirically determine preferred music and then these results were compared to family member and caregiver rankings. The …


An Examination Of The Social Acceptability Of Elderspeak By College Students And Community Dwelling Older Adults, Kasie Lynn Hummel Jan 2012

An Examination Of The Social Acceptability Of Elderspeak By College Students And Community Dwelling Older Adults, Kasie Lynn Hummel

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The dissonance that exists in the literature, in regards to Elderspeak, has helped pave the way for the current study. The main goal of this research is to understand under what circumstances college students and older adults perceive Elderspeak to be acceptable or unacceptable and to compare the results between these two specific populations. A 37-item questionnaire was used to empirically test the validity of old age cues described in the communication accommodation theory. Consistent with this theory and previous research, it was hypothesized that Elderspeak would be rated as more appropriate in response to negative factors (e.g., physical or …


Coping With Economic Stressors: Religious And Non-Religious Strategies For Managing Psychological Distress, Jonathan Karl Feil Jan 2012

Coping With Economic Stressors: Religious And Non-Religious Strategies For Managing Psychological Distress, Jonathan Karl Feil

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The current economic downturn has increased concerns over job insecurity and the potential negative effects of job insecurity and other economic stressors for individuals. While there is a great deal of research on traditional (non-religious) methods of coping with work stress (e.g., Latack, 1986), there has been little research concerning the impact of religious methods of coping on mitigating the effects of work-related stressors. This is true even though a significant amount of research has demonstrated that religious coping methods are effective at reducing negative effects of a wide variety of stressors. Specifically, the current study looked at the effectiveness …


An Application Of A High-P Low-P Procedure To Improve Recall Memory In Elderly Patients With Mild To Moderate Cognitive Impairment, Dawn Amber Seefeldt Jan 2011

An Application Of A High-P Low-P Procedure To Improve Recall Memory In Elderly Patients With Mild To Moderate Cognitive Impairment, Dawn Amber Seefeldt

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Memory problems are a hallmark symptom of dementia. Although memory problems can take various forms, anomia is a common type of cognitive deficit that involves difficulty recalling names of people or objects. The purpose of the current study was to test the effectiveness of two interventions designed to improve the ability to recall the names of objects. Two elderly individuals with memory impairment participated in this study. Baseline involved identifying low and high probability images, with low-probability (low-p) items serving as the target images during the intervention phases. Two interventions were compared using an alternating treatments design. The first intervention, …


An Evaluation Of Factors Leading To Mentor Satisfaction, Shannon Marie Martin Jan 2011

An Evaluation Of Factors Leading To Mentor Satisfaction, Shannon Marie Martin

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This study assessed for factors related to mentor satisfaction. Eighty-one youth mentors were surveyed to evaluate for the effect of training, agency support, and confidence on mentor satisfaction. Linear regressions showed that greater perceived training and confidence significantly predicted greater mentor confidence, and agency support marginally supported this relationship. These findings show the need for agencies to provide initial training, ongoing support, and to ensure their mentors are confident in their abilities to be a mentor to guarantee that their mentors are satisfied.


A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Distractors Identified Through Stimulus Preference Assessment Versus Caregiver Opinion, Jonathan Steele Jan 2011

A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Distractors Identified Through Stimulus Preference Assessment Versus Caregiver Opinion, Jonathan Steele

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The effect of a distraction-based intervention on positive affect and aggressive and distress-related behaviors during morning activities of daily living in an elderly dementia patient was tested. Concurrently, the effectiveness of distractors chosen by staff and family report as compared to those chosen through a stimulus preference assessment (SPA) was tested. An alternating treatment design was used to implement identified distractors and a direct observation system was used to measure outcomes. Though staff reported increases in positive affect when using an edible chocolate distractor, no significant changes in positive affect or distress related behaviors were noted by the end of …


Evaluating Changes In Families With Members On Military Deployment, Jill Brink Jan 2011

Evaluating Changes In Families With Members On Military Deployment, Jill Brink

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With ongoing operations in the Middle East, military families face a large amount of stress surrounding deployment. While many studies have been conducted on soldier mental health, few have been published on the health of their families and even less on their children. The present case studies examine the mental health of military children, the change in family environment, and the social supports dependent spouses use during deployment. Two families are presented in this study. One family represents an Army Reserve family and the other an Air Force family. By comparing scores to standardized scores, it was shown that mental …


A Multi-Method Approach To Risk Assessment Among Women With Sexual Abuse Histories, Susan Elizabeth Drevo Jan 2011

A Multi-Method Approach To Risk Assessment Among Women With Sexual Abuse Histories, Susan Elizabeth Drevo

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While many empirical works detail the experience of and effects from sexual victimization, the underlying mechanisms that promote a cycle of recurrent victimization are not well understood. The current study replicated a previous study examining the perceptions of the benefits, risks, and personal expected involvement regarding a variety of risk taking behaviors in a sample of 151 college women with and without histories of sexual abuse. The current study further introduced a behavioral task in effort to test the utility of a multi-method approach to risk assessment. T-test analyses revealed that individuals with a history of sexual abuse perceived lesser …


The Effects Of Amount Of Contact, Relationship Quality, And Types Of Activities On Child Social And Emotional Functioning In A Youth Mentoring Program, Dorothy Maria Lipski Jan 2011

The Effects Of Amount Of Contact, Relationship Quality, And Types Of Activities On Child Social And Emotional Functioning In A Youth Mentoring Program, Dorothy Maria Lipski

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Various factors in youth mentoring programs are associated with beneficial outcomes in youth. Extending mentoring research, this pilot study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Y's Brother/Sister program. The particular factors under study included the influence of the amount of contact between mentors and mentees, the self-reported quality of the relationship, and the types of activities engaged in on mentee's mental health. Ten mentees between the ages of 8 and 17 years of age (M = 11.5) were included in the study. Contrary to the hypothesis, the results show that more contact was associated with elevated levels of behavioral …


A Functional Analysis Of Elderspeak Use By Certified Nursing Assistants In Caregiving Situations, Nathaniel Joseph Lombardi Jan 2011

A Functional Analysis Of Elderspeak Use By Certified Nursing Assistants In Caregiving Situations, Nathaniel Joseph Lombardi

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The purpose of the current study was to assess the function of Elderspeak (i.e., a patronizing style of speech used with older adults) use by Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA's) in caregiving situations, with the intention of identifying factors or variables related to its use. This was done using a questionnaire intended to ascertain CNA's general evaluations of the likelihood and appropriateness of Elderspeak use in a variety of different contexts. The questionnaire included a total of 36 items that identified positive and negative factors pertaining to residents and caregivers. Consistent with existing models and previous research, it was hypothesized that …