Developmental Psychology Commons^™

How The Lockdown Of Covid-19 Influenced The Neurocognitive And Psychosocial Development Of Preschoolers, Kay Picson

Nursing | Senior Theses

COVID-19 caused schools to turn to online learning through platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet. The influence and effects caused by the transition to online lessons and quarantine were seen across all patient populations and demographics, but none more so than preschool children, who are regarded as one of the more vulnerable populations due to their susceptibility to change. This research aims to fill gaps in the existing literature by evaluating the similarities and differences of the neurocognitive and psychosocial development of preschoolers exposed to the pandemic and those who were not. This study involves a comparative cohort approach …

Microaggressions And Their Impact On The Neurodiverse College Experience, Audre J. Knecht

Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature indicates that people with invisible disabilities (including neurodiversity) are at an increased risk of ableist microaggressions, especially on college campuses. Neurodivergent college students (N=13) were interviewed about their college experiences at a midwestern university in the United States. While only a few students reported experiencing microaggressions, there were overall themes of mistreatment from their instructors, watching other students experience microaggressions, feelings of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness, and the desire to mask neurodivergent traits to feel accepted at their university.

The Non-Standardization Of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: A Call To Action, Gabriel L.S Gomez

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most diagnosed disorders in adults and children, yet there is no standardized method to assess for ADHD. The similarity of symptoms shared across other disorders (comorbidity) makes the assessment of ADHD a very delicate process. This is not aided by the fact that the assessment of ADHD is not standardized. This allows individuals able to assess for ADHD to give a test or a combination of tests that they find fitting. This in turn brings into question the quality of testing and disagreement in diagnosing across fields. Lastly, ADHD-focused measures typically …

Links Between Perceived Mother-Adolescent And Father-Adolescent Conflict And Low Self-Control: A Cross-National Comparative Study, Tory Thomas

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The influence of parent-adolescent relationships and adolescent adjustment have been well-documented. Self-control has emerged as a key probabilistic construct in understanding adjustment, well-being, and life success. The present study tests the links between adolescent perceptions of maternal and paternal conflict and self-control. In addition, to understand the extent to which cultural developmental context impacts these associations, the study will employ a cross-cultural comparative lens to test whether cultural context moderates these links. Self-report data were collected from N = 4,924 adolescents (Mage = 16.97 years, 54.08% female) across four countries (China, Czech Republic, Turkey, and the United States). In by …

Early Technology Exposure And Academic Performance In Generation Alpha: Reduced Attention Span And Ability To Multitask, Sanjana Gupta

Undergraduate Research Posters

The increasing prevalence of handheld devices in the lives of young children inspired this research, particularly regarding their potential impact on attention spans and cognitive development in Generation Alpha. Early exposure to tablets and smartphones before the age of seven coincides with critical periods of neuroplasticity, during which the brain is highly receptive to environmental influences. This matters because attention and cognitive skills formed in childhood lay the foundation for academic success and long-term personal development, and the shift toward digital learning platforms in schools may have significant consequences.

This study aimed to investigate whether early exposure to handheld devices …

Exploring The Impact Of Early Adversity On Young Children With Autism, Kelsea M. Batista

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation builds on a small but growing literature exploring the association between early adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research suggests that children with ASD are more likely to experience ACEs throughout their lifetime due to increased vulnerability to victimization and social communication deficits. Still, to date, there is scant research explicitly exploring the impact of ACEs on young children diagnosed with ASD. This study utilized a biopsychosocial framework to further examine whether a relationship exists between ACEs and ASD. The objectives of this study include: (a) to determine whether a relationship exists …

Child Language And Happiness Behaviors: Evaluating The Effects Of Caregiver Coaching, Ashlen Grubbs

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Caregivers of young children who have or are at risk for disabilities may struggle supporting their child’s language development. This study used a tailored rapid coaching intervention to teach a caregiver different naturalistic language interventions that can be used with their child during play. Evidence-based naturalistic skills for increasing child communication were chosen to teach the caregiver based on baseline levels of skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored RCI (training and coaching) with caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. Like other studies, this study involved evaluating child-level communication but extended child measures …

Midas’ Children: Affluent White Families And The Effects Of Parental Bias On Child Outcomes, J. Sema Bruno

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Navigating parental biases within White affluent homes assumes family dynamics as yet unexplored within family therapy praxis. This dissertation examines parental biases directed toward domestic laborers employed in affluent White homes and how these biases might affect the parent-child relationship and the emerging values of children in these homes. Research from other fields demonstrates that domestic laborers experience social bias within the workplace; what this highlights is the likelihood that children in these settings are navigating unspoken subtleties of racism and classism in the context of developing socio-emotional maturity and family relationships. The first article within this dissertation critically reviews …

The Effect Of Early Intervention On Reducing Recidivism, Claire Meyer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The current punishment-based system has not led to promising recidivism rates showing the lack of effect it has on changing behavior. By working to understand the effect interventions can have on reducing recidivism, society can improve the criminal justice system. The intention of this paper is to show the benefits of moving to a system focused on rehabilitation instead of punishment, specifically for juvenile offenders. By conducting a literature review of available research, it can be seen that an incarceration-based system is not as effective as the implementation of intervention and prevention methods can be. Cognitive behavioral therapy and community-based …

Using Education To Confidently Identify And Report Concerns Of Child Abuse And Neglect: A Qualitative Improvement Initiative Through Staff Development, Sarah E. Neilson

Master's Theses and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Pre-licensure education on child abuse and neglect is crucial for nurses in the healthcare field. It helps to equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively identify, report, and intervene in cases of child abuse and neglect. Having this education available and understanding the signs and effects of child abuse and neglect, empowers nurses to take quick and decisive action in early intervention and prevention. Within the microsystem of a local Operating Room (OR), this quality improvement (QI) project will determine the muchneeded addition to the healthcare curriculum.

METHODS: The Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) framework was …

A New Frontier Of Responsibility: Children's Attributions Of Moral Responsibility To Autonomous And Controlled Robots, Thomas M. Macko

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

A prevailing theory in moral psychology, known as the Theory of Dyadic Morality, proposes that we evaluate moral transgressions primarily through weighing the mental states and intentions of both the perpetrator and the victim of a given transgression. Previous research has found adults and children similarly refer to mental states and intentions when making moral evaluations as third-party observers of a moral transgression. How might this framework apply to social robots, who arguably lack the mental states and intentions we can effortlessly identify in humans? The present study sought to examine how children view a social robot as culpable for …

Student-Athlete Mental Health: University Of Montana Case Study, Abigail M. Sherwood

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Research suggests that Division I college-student athletes experience higher levels of stress and other behavioral health issues than their non-athlete counterparts, with up to 20% of them suffering from depression (Sudano et al., 2017). Two studies on student athletes’ well-being conducted in 2020, reported that athletes continue to report higher levels of mental health concerns (Johnson, 2022). Since the fall of 2020, rates of mental exhaustion, depression, and anxiety have improved minimally with rates remaining 1.5 to two times higher than reported before the COVID-19 pandemic (Johnson, 2022). Naomi Osaka withdrawing from the French Open in 2021 and Simone Biles …

Childhood Trauma, Stress, Gender, And Depression's Impact On Suicidal Behavior, Emily H. Mezni

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in young adults. Continuous prevention and intervention efforts throughout the world have been made to reduce suicide risk in this population. Two of the biggest known risk factors for suicide is childhood trauma, a traumatic event or events that occur during youth, and depression. Researching the impact childhood trauma and depression make in conjunction with other factors will help to increase knowledge of suicidal behavior. In this study, recent stress and gender will be factored with childhood trauma and depression severity to predict suicidal ideation and attempt. Recent stress is useful …

The Influence Of Intersectionality On Identity And Resilience, Stephanie Washburn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Co-occurring multiple minority group membership (e.g., ethnic/racial minority and sexual/gender minority) has come to be referred as intersectionality. The purpose of this study was to explore if intersectionality is related to identity and resilience in undergraduate adults. The participant pool consisted of college students from a large metropolitan university in the Southeastern United States, (N = 340), who took an anonymous online self-report survey battery in exchange for course credit. Higher levels of resilience were associated with lower levels of identity distress. Further, identity commitment, but not identity exploration, predicted resiliency. Sexual/Gender Minority (SGM) individuals had lower resiliency than …

Religious Trauma And Identity, Kylie N. Angiel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Religious trauma is most often the result of prolonged emotional and mental trauma, rather than a one-time occurring physical experience, which can thereby lead to complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). This prolonged form of trauma can have negative impacts on one’s psychological well-being and possibly one’s sense of identity. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how religious trauma may be related to identity development. College students (N = 223) completed an anonymous online survey battery for course credit. Scores on a measure of religious and spiritual struggles was positively correlated with identity distress and …

Co-Occurrence Of Autism Spectrum Disorder And Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder With Idiopathic Hypersomnia: Data From The Hypersomnia Foundation Registry, Sophie Sevan Mikkelsen

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In recent years, hypersomnia patients and researchers alike have increasingly discussed the possibility of heightened comorbidities, or co-occurrences, of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with the central disorders of hypersomnolence: idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) and narcolepsy (N). While a few scarce studies have investigated a link between ADHD and N, there has been no research on the co-occurrence of these conditions with IH. This study, using data from the Hypersomnia Foundation’s CoRDS Patient Registry, is the first to identify self-reported rates of ASD and ADHD diagnoses by people with idiopathic hypersomnia. Four chi-square tests were conducted to determine …

Character Strengths In Applied Behavior Analysis And The Treatment Of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study, Michael G. Johansen

Dissertations and Theses

Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have continued to rise. Individuals diagnosed with ASD may display a range of deficits in social communication, behaviors, and symptoms that limit everyday functioning. Among the treatments for ASD, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is typically the earliest and longest intervention individuals with ASD are exposed to. Concerns have been raised over ABA being a compliance-based therapy which potentially produces prompt reliance, reinforcement dependency, and a lack of intrinsic motivation. In an attempt to address these concerns, this study aimed to assess the potential benefits of including the concept of character strengths from the field …

Leadership In Startups: How Founder Personality And Leadership Behaviors Impact Startup Success And Psychological Safety, Ria Passi, Ronald Riggio

CMC Senior Theses

New ventures created by entrepreneurs are crucial to the economy and to the diffusion of innovative technologies. However, startups often operate in highly uncertain environments characterized by constrained resources, lack of established processes, and complex market dynamics. Despite surges in startup investment, the failure rate for new ventures remains high, making it crucial to understand the factors that can contribute to their success. This thesis explores how founder personalities, leadership styles, and cultivating psychological safety impact startup performance and growth trajectories. Founder personality traits like openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness are positively associated with securing funding, achieving exit opportunities, and overall …

Assessing Reliability And Validity Of The Parental Responsiveness Rating Scale During Book Reading, Yuqi Zhang, Jennifer Locasale-Crouch, Brianna Jaworski, Khara Turnbull, Rachel Moon, Eve Colson, Fern Hauck, Nicole Geller

Graduate Research Posters

Parental responsiveness, defined as emotionally supportive behaviors, is consistently related to children’s development in research studies. It reflects attention to children’s emotional functioning through providing comfort, reassurance, and encouragement. However, measuring parental responsiveness in everyday practice has been challenging due to the complexity of available tools. The Parental Responsiveness Rating Scale (PaRRiS), a brief observational rating scale that quickly and directly measures the quality of parent-child interactions, shows promise in bridging this research-to-practice gap. Several small-scale studies in UK clinical settings found PaRRiS to be easily implemented, reliable, and valid. Additional studies are needed to explore PaRRiS’s potential use within …

Transforming The Culture Of Care, Implementation Of Developmentally Supportive Care In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Taylor Ann Jones

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The current study examines the implementation of the evidence-based practices of the neonatal integrative developmental care model in the neonatal intensive care unit and how these practices are implemented in reference to initiation method and frequency. In recent years, research examining the effectiveness of individualized, developmentally supportive care to infants in the NICU has demonstrated a variety of positive effects. Although great strides have been made in efforts to provide developmentally supportive care, wide variability and inconsistency remain in the quantity and quality of experience for infants and families in the NICU. Even though a hospital may incorporate developmentally supportive …

Finding The Dream Job Or Finding Another Dream: Work Volition And Goal Reengagement As Predictors Of Work-Fulfillment, Wellbeing And Calling, Julia Price-Lee

Dissertations and Theses

Work is prominent in adults’ lives, and their opportunity to choose the work they prefer predicts key work and wellbeing outcomes (WWO), especially their sense of meaning in work and wellbeing. Work choice opportunities also influence a sense of calling. However, finding and keeping preferred work is often difficult when adults are also navigating finances, marginalizing systems, and non-work priorities. Work volition (WV) measures perceived freedom regarding work options and predicts the quality of work that people find and their wellbeing within and beyond work. Foundational theoretical models suggested that having safe and reliable work, known as decent work (DW), …

Adverse Childhood Experiences Predict Mortality Risk: The Role Of Social Support & Social Strain, Meredith A. Willard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Childhood adversity has long-lasting negative effects across the lifespan including increased mortality risk. The love and support individuals receive from others, also known as social support, has shown to be a protective factor against ACEs. However, little research has investigated the amplifying effects of social conflict and strain that often accompanies social relationships. Utilizing data from the Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS) study, I tested whether higher levels of social support would buffer the negative effects of adverse childhood experiences on mortality risk, and whether higher levels of social strain would amplify these associations. The sample included 6,150 participants …

Acknowledgments, Matt Wappett

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Advancing Strength-Based Inclusive Mental Health Research In Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Luther Kalb, Joan B. Beasley

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Internalized Sexism In Young Adult Women, Kylie Schwabe

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The present study utilized Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis in order to examine the lived experiences of young adult, cisgender women and the development of internalized sexism. Eight participants completed semi–structured interviews focused on their relationships with other women and subsequent views of womanhood. Themes found were (a) womanhood is taught by women throughout the lifespan, (b) women are sexually responsible for men, (c) women are emotional caregivers, (d) there are biological bases of womanhood, (e) women are expected to “do it all,” (f) expectations of women are fueled by media portrayal, (g) traditional femininity is seen as oppositional to the feminist …

Religiosity And Spirituality Among Sexual And Gender Minority College Students, Emily N. Popovetsky

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible relationship between religiosity and spirituality as separate factors and its effects on the sexual gender minority community (SGM) regarding identity distress and identity commitment to aid in SGM identity and religious identity integration. It was investigated whether spirituality could moderator the negative effects of religious rejection for the SGM community regarding identity distress, and identity commitment. A comparison between the non-(SGM) community and SGM was included. This study viewed multiple different aspects of religiosity such as religious rejection, current religious practices, and centrality of religion in one’s life as well …

Relations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Substance Use In Adolescents And Emerging Adults: The Moderating Role Of Exposure To Community Violence And Community Support And Community Recognition, Kiara Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Due to historical and current systemic racial inequities, African American adolescents and emerging adults living in low-income urban communities bear the burden of higher rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and exposure to community violence. Both exposure to ACEs and community violence are linked to higher levels of substance use. However, limited research exists on how exposure to community violence exacerbates the association between ACEs and higher frequencies of substance use in adolescence and emerging adulthood. There is also a need to understand how community-level protective factors may weaken the relations between ACEs and higher rates of substance use. The …

Online Racism And Mental Health Symptomatology Among Black Adolescents: A Longitudinal Examination, Stephen M. Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

Online racism (i.e., racism perpetrated and embedded within media and platforms on the Internet) is increasingly becoming a public health concern. Recent empirical evidence demonstrates that over a three year period, Black adolescents reported experiencing at least one online racial discriminatory incident, including exposure to racist images or videos within digital spaces (Tynes et al., 2020). One way in which Black adolescents are exposed to online racism is through the consumption of digital news media on the coverage of racially traumatic events (e.g., murders of Black men and women by police officers, racial hate crimes committed against Black people) and …

African American Adolescents' Exposure To Community Firearm Violence And Associated Factors, Colleen S. Walsh

Theses and Dissertations

Firearm violence is a public health crisis in the United States that disproportionately impacts African American adolescents and families living in economically marginalized communities. The current firearm violence exposure literature includes a limited focus on the (a) the identification of risk and promotive factors that influence the likelihood of exposure to community firearm violence, (b) is cross-sectional, (c) focuses on outcomes of firearm violence exposure, and (d) does not examine bi-directional relations to determine if risk and promotive factors are causes and/or consequences of firearm violence exposure. This gap in research is further exacerbated by the limited focus on African …

Neurodevelopmental Trajectories As An Explanatory Mechanism For Adverse Mental Health Outcomes Following Child Maltreatment, Casey Burton Corso

Theses and Dissertations

Affecting one in every seven children in the United States, child maltreatment (CM) is a major public health issue associated with a myriad of adverse outcomes (e.g., alcohol and drug abuse, mental illness, interpersonal violence, sexual risk taking, etc.). While any subtype of CM (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect) increases the likelihood of subsequent psychopathology, heterogeneity in psychiatric sequelae of CM is associated with different CM subtypes. Elucidating the underlying mechanisms of this heterogeneity is vital for improving intervention and treatment of CM, and research aimed at accomplishing this is a critical need. One possible explanatory …