Health Psychology Commons^™

Scrolling For Support: Social Media Use, Health Information Seeking, And Social Support In Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes, Loren Myers

All Theses

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a lifelong chronic illness that is rapidly increasing in prevalence. Continuous treatment is necessary for proper management, but barriers to care can cause some to turn to other sources for health-related information, like social media. Given the limited research on social media use and health information seeking behaviors in people with T1D, this study aims to gain an understanding of how people with T1D use social media, where they get their health information, and how social support is related to social media behaviors among people with T1D. Adult T1D participants completed an online survey that …

Don't Crash Out: The Effects Of Personality And Social Support On Subjective Stress Responses And Heart Rate Variability, Nicholas Kilpatrick

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the relationship between personality traits, physiological stress responses, and subjective stress during a social-evaluative stress task, as well as the potential mediating role of heart rate variability (HRV) and moderating role of imagined social support. Participants completed a laboratory-based modified Trier Social Stress Task while HRV was continuously recorded, and self-reported stress was assessed across task phases. Results indicated that neuroticism and protective self-monitoring were associated with higher levels of subjective stress, while acquisitive self-monitoring was associated with greater reductions in stress following the task. Neuroticism was also associated with greater increases in HRV during the …

Examining The Complex Interplay Of Stress, Social Support, And Drinking Motives On Alcohol Use Behaviors: A Moderated Mediation Model Among College Students, Sabrina Perrin

Dissertations and Theses

College student alcohol use remains a public health concern, yet the psychological and social mechanisms that contribute to high-risk drinking patterns are not fully understood. Guided by the motivational model of alcohol use and stress-buffering theory, this study tested a moderated mediation model to examine how perceived stress, coping motives for drinking, and perceived social support interact to influence alcohol use behaviors. A sample of over 1,100 diverse urban college students completed measures of stress, social support, drinking motives, and four alcohol-related outcomes: binge drinking, frequency of alcoholic drinks consumed, negative drinking consequences, and use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) …

Investigating The Role Of Hopelessness In The Stress-Performance Relationship Among College Students, Vidushi Sabnani

2024 Fall Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

As college students pursue higher education as a pathway to success, they face pressures that threaten their well-being and academic success. Balancing academic, financial, and social demands has led to a mental health crisis on campuses, with emotional stress cited as the leading cause of students discontinuing their education (Gallup, 2023). This study investigates the relationship between academic stress, perceived stress, and academic performance in college students. It also examines the Yerkes-Dodson law of a curvilinear relationship between stress and performance and the role of hopelessness as a mediator. A sample of 321 participants completed surveys assessing academic stress, perceived …

Dentists’ Accounts Of Interpersonal Interactions Three Decades After The Postmortem Identification Of The Branch Davidians, Melissa Izuagbe

Psychology Theses - Archive

Despite extensive research on the psychological effects of mass disasters on survivors, the positive outcomes for volunteers and forensic workers, along with coping strategies to alleviate job-related stress, remain understudied. Self-disclosure and social support play pivotal roles in mitigating stress and fostering positive outcomes. This study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis to describe dentists’ experiences of self-disclosure and social support through the 31 years since conducting the postmortem identifications following the Branch Davidian Tragedy. The study was preregistered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) to promote transparency in research. We interviewed a subset (N = 14) out of the 50 dentists …

The Many Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Latinx College Students’ Mental Health: Exploring The Role Of Sleep, Social Support, And Familismo, Mayra S. Ramos

Theses and Dissertations

College students experienced a multitude of disruptions to their daily life, and changes to their physical (i.e., sleep quality) and mental health (e.g., anxiety and depressive symptoms) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the field has identified the factors that have contributed to negative physical and mental health changes, there remains much to be known about social and cultural protective factors that could buffer the negative role of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latinx college students. The current study contributed to the literature on the mental health outcomes of Latinx college students by identifying a possible mediator and moderators between the …

The Effect Of Minority Stress On Sexual Minority College Students' Mental Health: The Role Of General Social Support And Sexuality-Specific Social Support, Lee A. Golembiewski

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Sexual minority (SM) college students continue to face greater mental health problems relative to their heterosexual peers (Woodford et al., 2014; Wilson & Liss, 2022). According to minority stress theory, SM individuals face distal (e.g., heterosexist discrimination) and proximal (e.g., expectations of rejection, internalized homophobia, and concealment) stressors related to their SM identity which can have negative effects on their mental health (Douglass & Conlin, 2020; Meyer, 2003). However, social support has been hypothesized to help protect against the effects of minority stress experienced by SM individuals (Cohen & Wills, 1985; Moody & Smith, 2013). Most of the existing research …

Sleep And Health Behaviors In A Safety-Net Primary Care Setting, Sahar Sabet

Theses and Dissertations

Nearly half of all premature deaths in the United States are attributable to preventable and modifiable health risk behaviors. For decades, the leading behavioral health contributors to morbidity and mortality are tobacco use, physical inactivity, and alcohol consumption. Medication adherence is a relatively less studied yet critical interrelated health behavior that is tied to health and treatment outcomes. Sleep, an important pillar of health, is a daily and modifiable behavior that shows promise as a health behavior facilitator. Better understanding the dynamics of these modifiable health behaviors is essential for the improvement of health promotion, particularly among underserved populations (e.g., …

My Baby, My Move+: Feasibility Of A Community Prenatal Wellbeing Intervention, Jenn A. Leiferman, Rachael Lacy, Jessica Walls, Charlotte V. Farewell, Mary K. Dinger, Danielle Symons Downs, Sarah S. Farrabi, Jennifer L. Huberty, James F. Paulson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

Excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG), insufficient prenatal physical activity and sleep, and poor psychological wellbeing independently increase risks for adverse maternal and infant outcomes. A novel approach to mitigate these risks is utilizing peer support in a community-based prenatal intervention. This study assessed the feasibility (acceptability, demand, implementation, and practicality) of a remotely delivered prenatal physical activity intervention called My Baby, My Move + (MBMM +) that aims to increase prenatal physical activity, enhance mood and sleep hygiene, and reduce EGWG.

Methods

Participants were recruited through community organizations, local clinics, and social media platforms in the Fall of 2020 …

The Effects Of Matched And Mismatched Social Support On Anxious And Depressive Symptoms In Women With Multiple Sclerosis, Elena A. Thomopoulos

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

ABSTRACT

There have been many significant findings and contributions to the literature on multiple sclerosis (MS) concerning both physical and mental well-being of individuals who are diagnosed with this illness. While MS is more commonly known now, more than before, there are many obstacles and challenges individuals diagnosed with MS face than people realize. Symptoms that affect individuals with MS are not easily recognized such as fatigue, blurry vision, issues with dexterity, bodily pain, numbness in extremities, and more. Due to the nature of this disease, and many adaptations in life individuals have to make due to their symptoms, studies …

Peer Conversation About Substance Use, Danielle M. Pillet-Shore

Communication

What happens when a friend starts talking about her own substance use and misuse? This article provides the first investigation of how substance use is spontaneously topicalized in naturally occurring conversation. It presents a detailed analysis of a rare video-recorded interaction showing American English-speaking university students talking about their own substance (mis)use in a residential setting. During this conversation, several substance (mis)use informings are disclosed about one participant, and this study elucidates what occasions each disclosure, and how participants respond to each disclosure. This research shows how participants use casual conversation to offer important substance (mis)use information to their friends …

Pediatric Asthma And Psychological Resilience: Examining Whether Family Functioning And Social Support Relate To Asthma Symptoms And Lung Function, Dalia Jaafar, Natasha H. Hikita, Pornchai Tirakitsoontorn, Azucena Talamantes, Anchalee Yuengsrigul, Eric Sternlicht, Brooke N. Jenkins

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Upwards of 6 million children in the United States are afflicted with pediatric asthma. While previous research has linked asthma to multiple contributing biological and environmental factors, recent research suggests that psychological and social factors may have an impact on physiological outcomes of asthma like lung function and lung inflammation. Therefore, we suggest the need to study the impact of positive psychological factors such as a well-functioning family environment and beneficial social support on symptoms and lung function of children diagnosed with asthma. In the present pilot study, we recruited a total of 15 children with a confirmed asthma diagnosis …

Intrapersonal And Interpersonal Factors Predicting Distress And End-Of-Life Planning Among Individuals With Advanced Cancers, Aliza A. Panjwani

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The social-cognitive processing model of adaption to cancer posits that both intrapersonal and interpersonal factors influence psychological adjustment (Lepore, 2001). In this dissertation, two intrapersonal factors, intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and experiential avoidance (EA), were examined in relation to emotional distress (psychological outcome) and advanced care planning (behavioral outcome) among patients living with advanced cancer. EA (efforts intended to avoid negative emotions, thoughts, images or memories) was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between IU (the ability to tolerate uncertainty or the unknown) and emotional distress. In line with the social-cognitive model, two interpersonal factors, social support from family and friends …

Social Constraint, Social Support And Psychological Functioning In Rural And Nonrural Cancer Survivors, Jessica N. Rivera-Rivera

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

This cross-sectional study identified the nature and strength of the relationship between social and psychological functioning, and explored if these relationships differ as a function of environmental and personal characteristics.

Participants (n=87) consist of breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, and head and neck cancer survivors who were diagnosed within the past five years. Cancer survivors were recruited through a cancer registry and outpatient clinics. Data collection involved questionnaire and medical records review.

In linear regression models for distress, social constraint demonstrated a stronger relationship with general distress (β = .37 vs. β = -.26), anxiety and depression ( …

Peer Perceptions And Social Support For Young Adults On The Cancer Continuum, Emily Lehman

Student Research Posters

While on the cancer continuum, individuals report a sense of social isolation due to a lack of understanding among peers about their experiences and diagnoses (Iannarino et al., 2017). Increasingly, social support is given online rather than in person due to the positive language and communication that relies on the written word more than social cues (Warner et al., 2018). Participants in this study were 152 young adults recruited from a private university and via social media platforms. Participants were asked to complete a survey including The Measure of Interpersonal Attraction Social Attraction sub-scale (McCroskey & McCain, 1974) and a …

Resilience Among Survivors Of Adverse Childhood Experiences In Appalachia, Bridget Jeter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The empirical investigation of adverse childhood events (ACEs) and their relationship with health and well-being outcomes in later life is increasing. Less is known about factors that may promote resilience for those who have survived such challenges, such as how resilience may be facilitated for those with ACEs residing in a marginalized region such as South Central Appalachia. Multidimensional spirituality, social support, stigma related to ACEs, and Appalachian acculturation may serve as both valid cultural factors and potential indicators of resilience. Cross-sectional, simultaneous multiple regression analysis was performed on data collected from 272 adult patients of a South Central Appalachian …

A Program Evaluation Of A Drug And Alcohol Family Treatment Program, Katrina Ramirez

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study is a program evaluation at John Muir Behavioral Health, Center for Recovery. The research determined the effectiveness of the program at Center for Recovery that is offered to patients that struggle with substance use disorder and their families. The purpose of this study is to assess patients’ behavioral, cognitive and social/environmental factors as it relates to their commitment to sobriety and examine how the involvement of family members influences the patient’s recovery process. I utilized a mixed methodology of quantitative and qualitative interviews of patients and family members. The findings suggest depressive symptoms were negatively correlated with …

Social Support And Adherence To Recommendations Following Asd Diagnosis, Morgan Reiss

Honors Scholar Theses

This experiment aimed to look at how social supports effected adherence to recommendations following a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. We hypothesized that families with higher levels of structural social support, as defined as more adults living in the home, help with child care, presence of a co-parent, and day care utilization, would also report higher levels of adherence to intervention recommendations. The participants (n=8) were caregivers of children diagnosed with ASD at either the University of Connecticut or Drexel University. These children were screened for ASD during a well-visit to their pediatrician, and upon failing the M-CHAT-R, were eligible …

Protective Factors In The Association Between Child Sexual Abuse And Telomere Length In Adults, David Sosnowski

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine if childhood sexual abuse (CSA) was associated with decreases in mean telomere length (TL), and if social support and/or optimism moderated this association. The study included 99 Caucasian female monozygotic twins, ranging in age from 19-48 (M_age = 30.5, SD = 7.8) at Time 1. Linear mixed effects models were employed to test study hypotheses. Analyses with all participants did not detect an effect of CSA exposure or severity on mean TL, nor were there effects with optimism. However, in analyses that only included women exposed to abuse, increases …

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 …

Psychosocial Correlates Of Perceived Stress And Depressive Symptoms Among Help-Seeking Hispanic Smokers, Monica Webb Hooper Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Objectives: Research has demonstrated robust associations between perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and cigarette smoking. The extent to which these findings from the general population generalize to Hispanic smokers is unknown. The present study examined (a) correlates of perceived stress and depressive symptoms among help-seeking Hispanic smokers and (b) whether maladaptive coping and social support were related to stress and depressive symptoms. Design: Hispanic smokers (N=123) enrolled in an RCT completed demographic and smoking history, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, perceived social support, and maladaptive coping measures. Results: Bivariate associations indicated that perceived stress was positively correlated with depressive symptoms …

The Importance Of Fitting In: Drinker Status, Social Inclusion, And Well-Being In College Students, Molly B. Hodgkins

Honors Theses

These three studies examined the relationship between drinker status, well-being, and social inclusion in a college population, specifically seeking to discover why and how drinkers are happier than abstainers. In the first study, an existing longitudinal data set was used to compare the happiness of drinkers and non-drinkers, as well as ascertain if year in school was a factor. Drinkers were significantly happier than non-drinkers upon completion of their first semester freshman year, but this difference was not significant when the students were assessed one year later. Study 2 extended Study 1 by examining social factors as potential mediators of …

The Role Of Social Support In Adolescents: Are You Helping Me Or Stressing Me Out?, Gonzalo Bacigalupe, Maria Camara

Counseling, School Psychology & Sport Faculty Publication Series

Interpersonal relationships are indispensable in helping adolescents cope with stressors, acting as social support sources that protect them from psychological distress. Learning from their experiences may elucidate what strategies could be employed to support adolescents during this vulnerable life stage. Focus groups (N = 80) with adolescents in the Basque Country, Spain, were conducted to capture adolescents' narratives on stress and social support. Findings revealed the dual role of interpersonal relationships – as stressors and as sources of social support. Adolescents draw on sources of support that are familiar, mature, friendly, and, most importantly, worth of trust. Their most valued …

Social Relations, Health Behaviors, And Health Outcomes: A Survey And Synthesis, Louis Tay, Kenneth Tan, Ed Diener, Elizabeth Gonzalez

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The primary goal of this paper is to summarise current evidence on social relations and health, specifically how social integration and social support are related to health behaviors and health outcomes, using results from published reviews. Our analysis revealed that social relations are beneficial for health behaviors such as chronic illness self-management and decreased suicidal tendency. The salutary effects of general measures of social relations (e.g. being validated, being cared for, etc.) on health behaviors (e.g. healthy diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol abuse) are weaker, but specific measures of social relations targeting corresponding health behaviors are more predictive. There is …

Functional Impairment, Illness Burden, And Depressive Symptoms In Older Adults: Does Type Of Social Relationship Matter?, Joshua P. Hatfield, Jameson K. Hirsch, Jeffrey M. Lyness

ETSU Faculty Works

Objective: The nature of interpersonal relationships, whether supportive or critical, may affect the association between health status and mental health outcomes. We examined the potential moderating effects of social support, as a buffer, and family criticism, as an exacerbating factor, on the association between illness burden, functional impairment and depressive symptoms.

Methods: Our sample of 735 older adults, 65 years and older, was recruited from internal and family medicine primary care offices. Trained interviewers administered the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Duke Social Support Inventory, and Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale. Physician-rated assessments of health, including the Karnofsky Performance …

The Association Of Psychosocial Factors On Hiv/Aids Disease Progression, Melissa Margolis

Scripps Senior Theses

Despite a rise in the number of studies looking at the relationship of psychosocial factors (coping style, personality type, and social support) on HIV/AIDS severity, there remains a lack of conclusive answers about the specific association between these factors. This study used a meta-analytic method of analysis to address these issues in the post anti-retroviral treatment modality world. A systematic search of major psychology and medical computerized databases led to 110 studies used in the meta-analysis. Social support was found to have the strongest relationship with HIV progression. Structural social support had greater protective effect on HIV progression than functional …

Getting Back To My Life: Exploring Adaptation To Change Through The Experiences Of Breast Cancer Survivors, Charles A. Foster

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The holding environment concept, developed by Donald Winnicott, has been used to represent the type of support that encourages adaptive change during psychosocial transitions. The leadership and change literature posited that the holding environment had the ability to shape the trajectory of the transition, yet did not test this empirically. The psychosocial breast cancer literature empirically researched support during and after treatments ended, but did not incorporate the holding environment concept. This presented the opportunity to inform both the leadership and breast cancer fields by studying holding environments in the breast cancer setting. This study had a twofold purpose: 1) …

Social Interaction In Pain: Reinforcing Pain Behaviours Or Building Intimacy?, Annmarie Cano, A. C. De C. Williams

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

To date, pain research has focused almost exclusively on operant models to interpret the function and predict the consequences of pain-related interaction in chronic pain couples. However, evidence suggests that intimacy models of interaction may provide additional and alternative explanations for pain interaction. Specifically, intimacy models conceptualize verbal complaints about pain-related distress as emotional disclosure, which the partner may validate or invalidate. This review compares and contrasts models of pain-related interaction in chronic pain couples, describes limitations of the existing research, and offers directions for future research drawing upon a social support framework.

A Study Of The Effects Of Pet Ownership On Mental Health Among Community-Dwelling Senior Citizens In Northeast Tennessee., E. Marie Southerland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional study explored the relationship between pet ownership, attachment, and psychological health among community-dwelling senior citizens and evaluated the impact of the placement of an aquarium into a regional senior center. General health, depression, social support, pet attitudes, pet attachment, pet relationships, and attitudes about the aquarium were assessed among 104 members of a senior center.

Symptoms of depression were identified in 17.3% of the participants. Pets were a significant form of social support and attachment to pet owners. No significant relationship was observed between pet ownership, pet attachment, and psychological health. Positive health effects were reported among participants …

Stress In 1st-Year Women Teachers: The Context Of Social Support And Coping, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

The effects of adverse work environments were examined in the context of other risk/protective factors in this extension of a short-term longitudinal study involving 184 newly appointed women teachers. Regression analyses revealed that, adjusting for preemployment levels of the outcomes and negative affectivity, social support and adversity in the fall work environment were among the factors that affected spring depressive symptoms, self-esteem, job satisfaction, and motivation to teach. Support from nonwork sources was directly related to future improved symptom levels and self-esteem; supervisor and colleague support were directly related to future job satisfaction. Effects of occupational coping, professional …