Community Psychology Commons^™

Building Capacity Through The Use Of A Strategic Prevention Framework System In Communities, Duncan Meyers

Theses and Dissertations

The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) is a planning and implementation model that mobilizes communities to collaborate on developing and implementing an evidence-based prevention system. This model follows a structured five-step process with two cross-cutting elements (cultural competence and sustainability) that emphasizes building capacity of coalitions to strategically plan, implement, and sustain evidence-based prevention services to reduce adolescent substance use. This study utilized a repeated cross-sectional design. Participating youth were in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 and lived in one of 27 counties in a Southeastern state that was funded through the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention’s SPF State Incentive …

Addressing The Mental Health Needs Of Women In Rural Communities: A Women’S Wellness Group, Andriana Hench

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This paper explores the mental health needs of women in rural communities. Based on Myers and Sweeny’s Wellness Model (2008), as well as other relevant research, I have developed a group curriculum as a unique intervention to reach this specific population. This paper provides an overview of relevant literature and includes both a handbook for group facilitators and a participant workbook that compliments the facilitator handbook. This group curriculum is suggested for Clinical Mental Health Counselors and other mental health professionals to promote wellness among rural women.

Advocacy In Action: A Framework For Implementation Of The American Counselors Association Advocacy Competencies On A Local Level, Jeffrey M. Lown

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Despite calls from within the professional field and external forces, counselors have faced ongoing challenges in their efforts to be effective advocates for their clients and themselves. A review of the literature reveals that throughout the history of the profession, prominent figures have called on counselors to assume advocacy roles, and that some initiatives have been successful in fostering lasting change. However, as counselors and their clients’ needs continue to evolve, so too must strategies to address these needs be reevaluated and new initiatives put into place.

In this paper, I have outlined a committee structure and agenda that seeks …

The Impact Of Sports Dropout On Adolescent Functioning, Brittany Skiles Cook

Theses and Dissertations

Sports is the most commonly participated in extracurricular activity during adolescence. Aligned with the Positive Youth Development theoretical framework, previous research has shown that sports participation offers youth a context rich in resources found to promote positive adjustment into adulthood. However, around one third of the youth participating in sports drop out each year, and little research has examined the impact of sports dropout on indicators of youth adjustment. This study examines the relation between sports dropout and academic achievement, self-esteem, depression, perceived school climate, perceived support from adults in school, and alcohol use. The moderating effect of sports engagement …

Investigating Construct Validity Of The Cyber--Peer Experiences Questionnaire, Kendall Moore

Theses and Dissertations

With electronic technology becoming increasingly important in all aspects of modern life, traditional forms of relating with others have crossed into the cyber realm. Within that context, both positive and negative aspects of relational behavior have advanced in ways still largely underexplored in the research literature. One such area, termed “cyberaggression,” has recently gained momentum as a research focus. Given the numerous mental health sequelae from being involved in cyberaggression, such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, there is a clear and compelling need for more research in this area. To date, however, there remains little consensus on the conceptualization …

Do Discipline Style And Parenting Self-Efficacy Interact To Predict Observed Child Behavior? Outcomes From A Representative Sample Of Mothers With Young Chilren, Emily Noel Neger

Theses and Dissertations

Both parenting style and parents’ sense of their own parenting self-efficacy (PSE) have been found to predict child behavior outcomes in young children. Parents who engage in lax or overreactive parenting practices or who lack confidence in their parenting abilities are more likely to have children who display disruptive and noncompliant behavior. Until now, very little research has examined whether an interaction exits between these two constructs in predicting child behavior outcomes. The current study looked to fill this gap and assess whether a significant moderation relationship exists between parents’ parenting style and PSE in predicting observed child behavior. A …

The College Experience: Exploring The Relationship Between Sleep, Executive Function, And Alcohol Use, Evelyn R. Conner

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Application And Adaptation Of Psychological First Aid: The Filipino Psychologists' Experience After Typhoon Haiyan, Ma. Regina Hechanova, Bernice Vania Navarro Landoy, Pia Anna P. Ramos, Niel Steve M. Kintanar

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

This study examined the experiences, adaptations, observations, and insights on the use of Psychological First Aid (PFA) in the Philippines. Nineteen PFA providers who were trained in the basics of PFA from three major cities in the Philippines took part in this study. Respondents' knowledge about PFA was consistent with the core principles of promoting a sense of safety, calm, self-and community efficacy, connectedness, and instilling a sense of hope. The delivery of PFA was adapted to the Filipino culture through the use of local counseling models, a group-based setup , and the use of mindfulness and relaxation techniques. The …

The Development And Initial Evaluation Of Katatagan: A Resilience Intervention For Filipino Disaster Survivors, Ma. Regina Hechanova, Lynn Waelde, Pierce S. Docena, Liane Peña Alampay, Arsenio S. Alianan, Mary Jane B. Flores, Pia Anna P. Ramos, Maria Isabel E. Melgar

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

This paper documents the development, pilot, and initial evaluation of Katatagan, a group-based resilience program designed to hone coping skills of Filipino disaster survivors. The paper describes vulnerabilities and protective factors of Filipino survivors based on previous research and key informant interviews. It also explains how Luthar and Cicchetti’s (2000) resilience framework and guidelines for the development of interventions were incorporated in the objectives and the design of the resilience intervention. The intervention consists of six modules that aim to improve self-ecacy, adaptive coping skills, and well-being of Filipino survivors. The paper presents an initial evaluation of Katatagan among college …

Implementation Of A Staff Management System To Increase Consumer Engagement In Group Homes, Jeana L. Koerber

Dissertations

A multi-component staff management system was implemented in three residential group homes for adults with disabilities to examine if it would increase consumer (resident) engagement in leisure activities. The design was a non-concurrent and concurrent multiple baseline design across homes. Participants included consumers who lived in the homes and the direct care staff (DCS) who worked with them: a total of 35 participants. Sessions were an hour in length and occurred twice a day, Monday through Friday. The study lasted approximately 17 weeks in each group home.

There were four phases: (phase A) baseline assessment of consumer engagement and affect, …

Enriching Cultural Psychology With Research Insights On Norms And Intersubjective Representations, Xi Zou, Angela K. Y. Leung

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Norms are one of the most important yet least understood processes influencing social behavior.Since the seminal work of Kurt Lewin (1943), social norms have been widely studied in socialpsychology research, contributing to studies on attitude–behavior relations (e.g., Ajzen, 1991),social influence (e.g., Deutsch & Gerard, 1955), social control (e.g., Ajzen & Madden, 1986;Bandura, 1977), group decision making (e.g., Janis, 1972; Longley & Pruitt, 1980), conformity(e.g., Asch, 1951; Sherif, 1936), and stereotypes (e.g., Schaller & Latané, 1996; Stangor, Sechrist,& Jost, 2001). The goal of this Special Issue is to capture the latest wave of research discoverieson the role of norms in understanding …

Assessing The Psychoeducational Approach To Transcendence And Health (Path) Program : An Intervention To Foster Self-Transcendence And Well-Being In Community-Dwelling Older Adults., Valerie Lander Mccarthy, Sharon Bowland, Lynne A. Hall, Jennifer Connelly

Faculty Scholarship

The late-life developmental process of self-transcendence shapes elders’ perspectives on self, others, the nature of this world, and of a dimension beyond the here and now. This qualitative pilot study evaluated the Psychoeducational Approach to Transcendence and Health (PATH) Program, a psychoeducational intervention to promote self-transcendence and well-being in community-dwelling women at a senior center. The intervention involved eight weekly group sessions using group processes, mindfulness practices, creative experiences, and independent at-home practice. The findings supported the underlying theory-based structure and content of the intervention and indicated the intervention may empower elders to attend to self-care, develop acceptance, and learn …

Beyond Fruit: Examining Community In A Community Orchard, Emily Jane Becker

Dissertations and Theses

The Fruits of Diversity Community Orchard, located in Portland, Oregon in an affordable housing neighborhood, is a site of alternative food provisioning in which a group of people, organized by two nonprofits, work together to manage fruit and nut producing plants. Through conversations with volunteers who participate regularly and participant observation, this study explores the questions: What does community mean in the context of a community orchard? In what ways does partnering with a nonprofit from outside the neighborhood influence community and the way the project is operationalized?

This thesis situates community orchards within the literature on alternative food networks …

Implementing Universal Social And Emotional Learning Programs: The Development, Validation, And Inferential Findings From The Schoolwide Sel Capacity Assessment, Cheyne A. Levesseur

Doctoral Dissertations

In order to effectively transport universal social and emotional learning (SEL) programs into natural settings, it is important to understand implementation barriers that may hinder the likelihood of successful outcomes (Fixsen, Naoom, Blasé, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005). The current study is primarily based on the notion that within the planning phase of implementation, few technically adequate assessment measures targeting both organizational capacity (OC) and provider characteristics (PC) for SEL programming actually exist. The purpose is to extend the SEL implementation assessment literature by developing a new rating scale designed to measure SEL implementation barriers (School SEL Capacity Assessment [SSCA]) and …

Poverty Indicators And Mental Health Functioning Among Adults Living With Hiv In Delhi, India, Ezer Kang

Department of Psychology Faculty Publications

Poor mental health functioning among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) has gained considerableattention particularly in low-income countries that disproportionately carry the global HIV/AIDSburden. Fewer studies, however, have examined the relationship between poverty indicators andmental health among PHLIV in India. Based on this cross-sectional study of 196 HIV-seropositiveadults who received medical services at Shalom AIDS Project in Delhi, India, structural equationmodeling and mediation analysis were employed to estimate the associations between povertyindices (household asset index, food security, unemployment, water treatment, sanitation), HIVhealthfactors (illness in the past 3 months, co-morbid medical conditions), and psychologicaldistress. In the final model, ownership of fewer household …

Ciis Today, Fall 2015 Issue, California Institute Of Integral Studies

CIIS Today

This volume is the Fall 2015 issue of CIIS Today, the Magazine of the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Future Orientation As A Protective Factor For African American Adolescents Exposed To Community Violence, Suzanna So, Noni K. Gaylord-Harden, Dexter R. Voisin, Darrick Scott

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

For African American youth disproportionately exposed to community violence and the associated risk of externalizing behaviors, developmental assets that reduce the risk for externalizing behaviors and enhance adaptive coping should be explored. In a sample of 572 African American adolescents (M_age = 15.85; SD = 1.42), the current study explored whether future orientation or gender buffered the impact of community violence exposure on externalizing behaviors. The current study also examined the interaction between future orientation, gender, and violence-specific coping strategies to determine their association with externalizing behaviors. Future orientation moderated the relationship between violence exposure and delinquent, but …

The Sixties Scoop Among Aboriginal Veterans: A Critical Narrative Study, Munira Abdulwasi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explored the experience of Aboriginal Veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop using critical narrative inquiry. The objectives were to: 1) understand the lived experience of Aboriginal veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop, 2) explore any health needs expressed by Aboriginal veterans adopted and/or fostered during the Sixties Scoop, and 3) provide recommendations for the implementation of health services and programs to assist this group of Aboriginal veterans with their health needs. Eight individual interviews were conducted with participants in Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. All interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using …

What Is More Likely To Predict Prejudicial Attitudes Towards Overweight Individuals: Gender, Locus Of Control, Or Social Dominance Orientation?, Joanna Kelly, Peta Stapleton

Peta B. Stapleton

As obesity has become an important healthcare issue, more research has revealed a pervasive bias against overweight individuals. Individuals are often perceived to be in control of their own weight, and therefore, if one is overweight they are considered lazy, lacking in self-control, and non-compliant (Rukavina & Li, 2011; Stapleton, 2013). Although obesity rates are rising across countries, there has been no reduction in the negative attitudes and prejudices expressed towards the overweight (Stapleton, 2013). This study was conducted to assess the effects that Health Locus of Control (HLOC), Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) (Pratto, Sidanius, Stallworth & Malle, 1994), and …

Onset Patterns Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Mixed Method Approach, Meredyth Evans

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) refer to a debilitating illness without a universally accepted or well-understood etiology. Some experts have suggested that there are multiple pathways to the development of ME and CFS, which may also indicate multiple onset patterns. Due to unanswered questions regarding etiology, the onset of ME and CFS is considered a key area of inquiry.

Case criteria for ME and CFS and much of the academic literature suggest that patients typically experience one of two possible onset patterns: sudden or gradual. Many experts consider the mode of ME …

Reducing Economic Disparities For Female Offenders: The Oxford House Model, Sarah L. Callahan

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: In the past 30 years the rate of increase in incarceration for females who abuse substances has outpaced that of men. Women have increased health and economic disparities, and face barriers to economic mobility, increasing their risk of returning to the criminal justice system. Past research suggests that there is a positive relationship between living in Oxford House and employment wages, yet the impact of having a criminal history on this relationship was unknown. Method: This study used a nationwide sample of 136 women living in Oxford Houses in a regression analysis with length of stay in Oxford House …

Childhood Obesity And The Social Detrminants Of Health: A Socioecological Exploration Of Mothers And Children, Alescia M. Hollowell

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationship between sociocultural appearance norms, environment, and health efficacy in shaping health behaviors and outcomes in mothers and their children. Childhood obesity is a serious health condition affecting US children. Factors related to the cause of obesity include poor nutrition, lack of physical activity and parent's perceptions and roles. However, given that children have little autonomy, it is of great importance to understand how parental perceptions and behaviors influence the health outcomes of their children. This thesis was conducted using quantitative methods. Participants were 120 mothers who completed survey measures of sociocultural appearance norms, health efficacy, …

Construct Validation Of The Psychosocial Costs Of Racism To Whites Scale For Ashkenazic Jews In The United States, Emile Tobias Berk

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study is a construct validation of the Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites Scale (Spanierman & Heppner, 2004) with Orthodox and non-Orthodox Ashkenazic (of European descent) American Jews. While Jewish-American biculturalism has been explored at length, there is a dearth of psychological research on Jewish-White biculturalism (Langman, 1999). Furthermore, the literature has yet to explore the impact of Jewish religious diversity on Ashkenazic-American self-perception as racially White beneficiaries of unearned privilege.

The Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites Scale (PCRW) measures three dimensions of White racial attitudes: White Empathic Reactions Towards Racism, White Guilt, and White Fear of Others. …

Dysfunctional Eating In An Australian Community Sample: The Role Of Emotion Regulation, Impulsivity, And Reward And Punishment Sensitivity, Peta Stapleton, Melissa Whitehead

Peta B. Stapleton

This study aimed to examine the role of emotion regulation and reinforcement sensitivity in dysfunctional eating behaviours. Two hundred twenty-eight adults from the Australian community completed self-report inventories assessing the variables. Dysfunctional restrained eaters differed from those who did not engage in restrained eating in terms of their emotion regulation, impulsivity, and sensitivity to reward. Difficulties in emotion regulation, low impulsivity, and sensitivity to reward predicted engagement in restrained eating. Emotional eaters significantly differed from those who did not engage in dysfunctional levels of emotional eating in terms of their emotion regulation, impulsivity, and sensitivity towards reward, and difficulties in …

Psychological Determinants Of Emotional Eating: The Role Of Attachment, Psychopathological Symptom Distress, Love Attitudes And Perceived Hunger, Peta Stapleton, Eleanor Mackay

Peta B. Stapleton

The present study aimed to investigate the psychological determinants of emotional eating in a national and international sample of healthy weight, overweight and obese adults (N = 226). Specifically, attachment styles, psychopathological symptom distress and love attitudes were explored for their ability to predict emotional eating. Findings supported the suggestion symptom distress may particularly predispose individuals to engaging in emotionally motivated overeating, with a large effect size observed. Preoccupied attachment was also a significant predictor of emotion eating, even after controlling for state-based inferences. However, there were no significant contributions of secure, fearful-avoidant, or dismissiveavoidant attachment style in the prediction …

The Association Between Stalking And Violence In A Sample Of Spanish Partner Violence Cases, Rosa Viñas-Racionero, Chitra Raghavan, Miguel Ángel Soria-Verde, Remei Prat-Santaolaria

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The present descriptive study analyzes stalking in a sample of 278 Spanish court cases involving partner violence and contrasts the benefits of the new bill article 172ter, which criminalizes stalking, compared with the Organic Law 1/2004 on partner violence. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of the total sample included stalking behaviors, which manifested in intimidatory (60%) and controlling (45%) unwanted verbal communications (62%) and physical approaches (42%) that ended violently in a third of the cases (35%). Cases involving violent stalking, non-violent stalking, and physical violence without stalking were compared. A closer look at violent stalking cases uncovered that intimacy-seeking stalking behavior …

Same-Sex Parent Socialization: Associations Between Gay And Lesbian Parenting Strategies And Child Behavioral Adjustment, Marykate T. Oakley

Masters Theses

Cultural socialization has been linked with child development and outcome, but, to date, the majority of research has focused on race and ethnicity. However, since families headed by gay and lesbian parents experience stigma related to parental sexual orientation, socialization practices may be uniquely important for families headed by gay and lesbian parents. The present study examined same-sex parent socialization among 54 families headed by gay and lesbian parents (52 fathers, 43 mothers, 51 school-aged children) using a cultural socialization framework. Findings revealed that parents engaged in socialization along three dimensions: Cultural Socialization, Preparation for Bias, and Proactive Parenting. Children …

Understanding The Irony: Canadian Gay Men Living With Hiv/Aids, Their Catholic Devotion, And Greater Well-Being, Renato M. Liboro, Richard T.G. Walsh

Psychology Faculty Research

Nine Canadian Catholic HIV-positive gay men were interviewed to obtain a better understanding of why and how they were able to persevere in their faith despite their religion’s teachings against homosexuality and contributions to the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS. By examining the lived experiences and personal perspectives of the participants, the study aimed to explore and elucidate the significant role of Catholicism and the Catholic Church both as a continued source of marginalization and oppression, as well as strength and support, for Canadian gay men living with HIV/AIDS today.

Suicidal Thoughts And Behavior Among Black College Students: Examining The Impact Of Distress Tolerance And Social Support On Suicidality, Anisha L. Thomas

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the role of distress tolerance in suicidality among Black college students. It was hypothesized that (1) individuals with low levels of distress tolerance would report higher levels of suicide ideation; (2) individuals with high levels of distress tolerance would report greater suicide attempts; (3) social support would moderate the relationship between distress tolerance and suicide ideation; (4) social support would moderate the relationship between distress tolerance and suicide attempts; and that (5) family and peer support would act as distinct buffers against suicidality. These hypotheses were tested by surveying 47 undergraduate university …

Influence Of Caregiver Activation On Health Of Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Alzheimer’S, Trinity Rose Parker

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Abstract Caregiver activation is related to a caregiver’s knowledge, skill and confidence to provide multiple levels of care of another individual. To date there is little research assessing caregiver activation within the population of informal caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. Forty-four informal caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s were recruited through caregiver resource centers and online communities in the state of Oregon, completed a self-report survey. The purpose of this study was to identify the predictive qualities and influence of caregiver activation on informal caregiver physiological and psychological health as well as positive health behaviors. General health, emotional wellbeing, self-efficacy, and caregiver …