School Psychology Commons^™

Hallucinogen Use Among Parents Of Children In The United States: Associations With Mental Health And Substance Use, Maggie K. Richardson

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Hallucinogen use has reemerged in the United States amid expanding clinical research and shifting social and policy contexts. However, population-based evidence remains limited regarding hallucinogen use among adults living with children and its relationship with mental health impairment severity in caregiving environments. Therefore, this study’s objective was to examine associations between past-year hallucinogen use and past-year mental health impairment among U.S. adults, and to test whether associations differ by parental status and number of children in the household. A secondary aim examined correlates of co-occurring substance use among those reporting hallucinogen use.

Data were drawn from the 2023 National Survey …

Expert Validation Of A Professional Development Model For K–2 Emotional Regulation, Mark Simpson

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Emotional regulation (ER) is foundational to student learning, behavior, and long-term educational success and well-being; however, many elementary educators report limited formal preparation in explicitly teaching ER skills. The purpose of this study was to design a professional development (PD) program for K–2 teachers focused on ER and to evaluate its content validity through expert review. The framework was grounded in Gross’s process model of ER, Desimone’s core features of effective PD, and Sims’s dynamic IMTP framework. A researcher-developed rubric was used to evaluate alignment, clarity, theoretical grounding, and feasibility. Five experts in various roles within the field of education …

Evaluating Gender Bias In An Early Reading Screener Of Word Identification Abilities, Donna Perazzo

Theses and Dissertations

Children who have difficulty learning to read, particularly those with a specific learning disorder in reading (SLD-R) are at risk for an array of adverse outcomes. However, children who are identified and receive reading interventions early perform better on social, emotional, academic, and behavioral outcomes relative to those who do not receive early identification and intervention. In response to the growing body of research that has developed on the importance of the early identification of children have difficulty reading, many states have mandated the screening of all children for reading difficulties, specifically dyslexia. However, with the development of new reading …

Identifying Challenges And Resiliency Of Adolescents Living With Parents Misusing Substances: A Mixed Methods Study, Alison Palmer

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

This study aimed to identify challenges, resiliency factors, and needs of adolescents living with parents misusing substances. Seven first-year students at James Madison University in PSYC 101 and PSYC 160 classes signed up to participant in this study to receive course credit. While supervised by a mental health provider, participants individually completed a Modified CAST-6 screener as well as a locally developed survey. A nonexperimental mixed-methods study was conducted including the convergent collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analyzed through Braun and Clarke’s (2006) model of thematic analysis. The …

Why Do You Wear A Mask? Children’S Conceptualizations Of Covid-19 And Contagion Avoidance Behaviors, Emily Hillman

Scripps Senior Theses

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a need has emerged for psychological research on children’s understanding of infectious disease transmission. However, little existing research examines the link between children’s cognitive reasoning about illness and their subsequent behaviors regarding its transmissibility. This study will examine children’s conceptualizations of contagious illnesses such as COVID-19 and their subsequent contagion avoidance. A mixed methods approach will be used to establish the content of children’s conceptualizations of contagion and level of causal reasoning related to illness transmission. Dyads will be constructed comprising 4-12-year-old children and their parents. It is expected that parental contagion avoidance …

Peer Acceptance In The Lunchroom And Children’S Internalizing Symptoms, Jake Steggerda

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is evidence to suggest that the context of the school lunchrooms provides children with rich opportunities for enhancing or hampering the quality of their relationships (Craig, Gregus, Elledge, Pastrana, & Cavell, 2016; Steggerda et al., in preparation). Although past research has linked children’s peer acceptance to their level of internalizing symptoms, few studies have examined peer acceptance within the lunchroom context. This study extends that work by examining associations between lunchroom peer acceptance (assessed via self- and peer-reports) and children’s internalizing symptoms. Participants were 676 fourth-grade students (50.7% female; 42.7% Hispanic/Latino, 30.3% White, 10% Pacific Islander, and 17% other) …

Families First: Impact On Parent Knowledge, And Association Between Program Quality And Child Symptom Severity, Cibrian Johnson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Families First parenting workshops were developed for caregivers of children recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The primary site hosts inperson workshops, but webcasts the workshops to remote sites in different areas of the United States. The purpose of this study was to assess whether parents have an increase in knowledge after participating in Families First workshops at a remote site, and to assess whether program quality ratings and child symptom severity are associated with parent knowledge. The current study addressed the following research questions:

1. Do parents participating in the Families First workshops at a remote site …

The Impact Of The Ib Primary Years Programme (Pyp) On Student Wellbeing And Other Related Social-Emotional Learning Outcomes, Katherine Dix, Shani Sniedze

Wellbeing

This study investigated the impact of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) on student wellbeing and related outcomes. The PYP, an educational framework for children ages 3–12, offers a holistic education focusing on whole-child development through an inquiry-driven approach. It does so through multiple programmatic elements that include leadership and teacher professional development, to deliver an inclusive curriculum in classrooms that builds transdisciplinary skills, culminating in the development of students’ international-mindedness, critical thinking and attributes of the IB learner profile.

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Military Families, Who Have Children With Disabilities And Maladaptive Behavior, With School-Based Mental Health Personnel, Londi J. Segler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to capture the lived experiences of military families who have children with disabilities and maladaptive behavior to note risk and protective factors that might impede the mental health development of that population of student. Through interviews with at-home-caregivers, I explored their experiences with public school staff, outside mental health services, and school psychologists. Study findings revealed that participants felt they were going to battle with school staff who were not willing to incorporate culturally responsive practices when working with their children. School staff who implemented regular bi-directional communication were more likely to gain …

The Inclusive Nature Of Mindfulness-Based Practice: Does Executive Functioning Play A Role In Children's Mindful Experience?, Kaitlyn Butterfield

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

We examined the effects of a six-week mindfulness program in order to assess how executive function level played a role in students’ mindful experience. The effects of the mindfulness program were evaluated according to prospective outcomes across students’ level of executive function, in comparison to an active control group. Classrooms were randomly assigned to a mindfulness-based program or a health-based active control group. Pre- and early adolescent students in the 5th to 8th grade (N = 52) from two MindfulMe! program classrooms and two HealthyMe! program classrooms (active control group) completed self-reported pretest and post-test measures to assess mindful attention …

The Relations Between Adherence To Behavioral Treatments And Parent Stress In Families Of Children With Asd, Aimee Rovane

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies suggest that parent involvement with behavior treatment for associated challenging behaviors (ACBs) may reduce parent stress in families with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is not known whether high treatment adherence to protocols is associated with reduced parent stress, or which factors that may moderate this relation. The current study examined the relation between parents’ adherence to behavioral treatments and parent stress, and whether parents’ perceptions toward treatment moderate this association. Participants were 190 mothers, fathers, or caregivers of a child with ASD. A bivariate correlation matrix examined associations between each variable, and 3 separate linear regression …

A Foundation For Understanding The Neurocognitive Processes That Underlie Mathematics Performance In Children, Christopher Anzalone

Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated the prognostic utility of resting state EEG coherence in the prediction of standardized mathematics scores. Quantitative EEG analyses were performed for 60 school-aged children (ages 7 to 12 years) with and without math learning disabilities (MLD). Analyses assessing intrahemispheric coherence at rest were performed across the entire sample and several coherence networks were extracted.

Specifically, networks that included Brodmann area 40 (BA 40) -- a region of the brain heavily involved in the cognitive processes responsible for mathematics performance (Anderson, Betts, Ferris, & Fincham, 2011; Cohen, Dehaene, Chochon, Lehericy, & Naccache, 2000; Kroger, Nystrom, Cohen, & …

Healthy Life Choice: Using The School-Based Program To Facilitate Change, Jennifer Shaheed

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Research highlights the multiple determinants of weight including poverty, nutrition, and physical activity (Miguel-Berges, 2018). Children and adolescents living in rural areas are at greater risk than their urban counterparts. Regarding physical activity, there are often fewer recreational resources and the high poverty rate precludes transportation or additional fees associated with many extracurricular activities. In response to this problem, research has shown the educational environment is a point of access to reinforce health education and behavior. One evidenced-based program showing significant outcome in improving health behavior is the Healthy Lifestyle Choices (HLC) which is designed to be delivered in an …

An Exploration Of The Experience Of Adults With Learning Disabilities Through Art, Adi Greenboim-Zimchoni

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study employed arts-based research with phenomenological, qualitative inquiry to understand and explore the perspectives of adults with learning disabilities and their sense of self and support in inclusive and special education classrooms in Israel during their school years. In this study, the researcher attempted to take Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1979) one step further by examining the participants’ feelings and relationships with the people in their daily lives during childhood. The researcher met with 12 participants ages 18-31 diagnosed with learning disabilities between third and eleventh grade. Participants created drawings illustrating how they felt about teachers, parents, friends and …

The Use Of Systematic Distractions To Increase Sustained Attention In School-Aged Children With Attention Problems, Emma Larson

LSU Master's Theses

With the growing prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children (DSM-5, 2013), it has been established that the ability of these children to sustain attention is marked with difficulty (Barkley, 2006). Prior research has addressed the need to increase sustained attention in children with ADHD, however, not all of the promising methods take into consideration that children with ADHD have difficulty ignoring distractions (Rapport et al., 2009). This is problematic because the typical classroom environment is filled with distractions. The current study attempted to fill this research gap by training participants to sustain attention while systematically introducing distractions …

Violence And Aggression In School Settings, Barbara Katic

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Violence and aggression continue to cause harm to American schools and communities, which has been visibly illustrated by the continual perpetration of school shootings. In order to prevent these situations for occurring again, the etiology of violent and aggressive behaviors must be studied. Utilizing an ecological perspective, both the risk factors and protective factors of violence and aggression, also known as a dual strategy approach, are examined within an educational context. Specific risk factors reviewed include weapons exposure and social rejection, while protective factors reviewed include school connectedness and pro-social relationships. Implications regarding the prevention of violent and aggressive acts …

Attachment, Stress, And Self-Efficacy While Parenting Children On The Autism Spectrum, Angela Maire Galioto

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The current study explored the relationship between parental perceptions of stress, self-efficacy, attachment, and child functioning level. Participants were parents of children with ASD enrolled in The Special Beginnings Program (SBP, N = 44) or receiving treatment as usual (TAU, N = 39). Hypotheses included that parental perceptions of child functioning level will be negatively correlated with stress and positively correlated with self-efficacy and attachment. In addition, that parental perceptions of stress will decrease and perceptions of attachment and self-efficacy would increase after Project ImPACT training and at follow-up more so for the parents in the SBP group compared to …

Education’S Role In A System Of Care For Children And Youth With Emotional/Behavioral Challenges: A Mixed Methods Evaluation, Lauryn Young

Theses and Dissertations

Students with more severe emotional/behavioral (EB) challenges have many problems in the school environment and subsequently have significant difficulty making adjustments later in adulthood. Coordinated care systems, such as local system of care (SOC) initiatives, were established in response to a call for reform in youth mental health services as research began highlighting the need for improved access and quality of mental and behavioral services for youth. However, even in communities where SOC initiatives are operating well, school involvement is usually marginal. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate education’s role in one SOC for children and youth with EB …

Developing A Competency-Based Framework To Guide Elementary School Teachers' Efforts In Helping Bullied Children, Samantha Gregus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study aimed to develop a competency-based framework designed to assist elementary school teachers in their efforts to help bullied children. Drawing from extant research, Gregus and Cavell (2017) created an initial draft of the framework that contained 25 components representing a mix of knowledge, attitudes, and skills. In Study 1, I obtained input on the framework from practicing elementary school teachers (n = 26) and researchers who study school bullying (n = 14). Teacher input was gathered via a series of focus groups and researchers responded using an online survey. Both teachers and researchers viewed the framework positively …

Media Detectives: Bridging The Relationship Among Empathy, Laugh Tracks, And Gender In Childhood, Sruti Kanthan, James A. Graham, Lynne Azarchi

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Empathy in college-age students is decreasing at unprecedented rates. Understanding empathy in children can act as primary prevention in tackling the problem. This study considers laugh tracks’ capacity to bias reality, foster empathy, and investigate differences across time and gender in 181 fifth grade students. The results from this quasi-experimental study suggests that students’ perceptions of the relationship between empathy and canned laughter changed significantly from pretest to posttest survey questions. Statistically significant differences were present for gender, as well. Theoretical and practical implications of using laugh tracks to increase empathy in middle and late childhood are discussed.

Spiritual Attitudes And Values In Young Children, Maryl Deputy, Jessica Devivo, Nicole Fasolo, Lydia Jones, Debbie Martin, Victoria Pennant

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

Research has shown that spirituality is an important function of a child’s social, emotional, and personal development. Nevertheless, minimal research exists on spiritual attitudes and values in young children. This study examined children’s development and spirituality using a modified version of the Attitudes and Values Questionnaire (AVQ). The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) developed the AVQ with the dimensions of Conscience, Compassion, Social Growth, Emotional Growth, Service to Others, Commitment to God, and Commitment to Jesus. Commitment to God and Commitment to Jesus were optional dimensions later added by ACER to focus specifically on Christian principles. Following permission from …

You Live, You Lose: Supporting Youths On Their Journeys In The Land Of The Loss, Gary W. Mauk, M. Bruce Garris

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

As youths journey through life, they experience various personally significant losses and associated grief that can negatively impact their physical/mental health, developmental trajectory, and academic success. Framed in a broad-based perspective of loss, this presentation will acquaint participants with various loss-related constructs and events, potential associated physical, intellectual, emotional, and social effects of loss experiences, and supportive interventions and resources.

An Examination Of A Yoga Intervention And Elementary Students’ Selective Attention And Executive Function In The School Setting, M. Jill Rogers

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of yoga on children’s executive function and selective attention. There were three primary aims of this study. The first aim was to examine whether yoga would have a positive effect on children’s selective attention in a school setting. Another aim was to explore if teachers will report an improved change in children’s executive function in the classroom. The final aim was to determine if yoga would be a socially acceptable intervention to teachers and students. Participants included three fifth grade students and two teachers. Mixed methods were used to visually …

Suicidal Behavior Among Elementary School Students And Current Needs In Prevention Practices: A Survey Of Virginia School Counselors, Maranda K. D. Vandyke

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Most of the research on suicidal behavior has focused on the middle and high school level, and an extensive review of the literature shows that more information is needed on the current needs and prevention practices at the elementary school level. In Virginia, school psychologists rated school counselors the top professional in elementary schools to lead suicide intervention and prevention efforts. Due to this, the current study examined 161 Virginia school counselors’ responses to an online survey to further explore intervention and prevention efforts among school professionals. Both school counselors and school psychologists noted that receiving additional training and having …

Building Effective School-Family-Community Partnerships Through Community Dialogues; And Super Friends, Super Readers! Engaging Community To Support Young Children's Social Emotional Development, Angel Fettig, Kaitlin Gould, Lauren Brodsky

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Super Friends, Super Readers! guides children through interactive shared reading sessions by using dialogic reading techniques that aim to support the development of social emotional skills. In a separate project, UMass Boston and the YWMC offered a series of community dialogues among a diverse group of parents and educators to instill a greater sense of trust and overcome unintentional racial divides that have impeded effective parent engagement and student achievement.

Group Social Skills Interventions For Children With Aspergers: The Effects Of Parent-Guided Social Skills Software, Ryan M. Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

Asperger’s syndrome (AS) has recently become controversial as a unique pervasive developmental disorder. Although it is apparently different than low-functioning autism, it has been deemed too similar to high-functioning autism (HFA) to be considered a distinct diagnosis in the DSM-5 classification system. However, despite the removal of AS from the DSM-5, research shows that both AS and HFA are significantly different than autism with cognitive impairment (intelligence quotient <= 70), and therefore have different treatment needs. These needs primarily include specialized social skills training. Youth with AS/HFA who obtain sufficient social skills often report greater levels of quality of life and lower levels of anxiety and depression. Their parents also report less parental stress. Although a growing number of evidence-based social skill interventions exist, few use an experimental design and incorporate special interest areas (i.e., the pervasive interests of children with AS), generalization techniques (e.g., different settings, parent inclusion) or computer mediation, which research suggests is needed. Using an experimental design, this study investigated the incremental benefits of parent-guided social skills software (i.e., Social Express) in improving social, emotional and behavioral functioning in the child, as well as reduce parental-stress in the parent. Thirty youths with AS/HFA enrolled in a 9-week social skills group at a clinic participated in this study, as well as their parents. Half were randomly assigned to receive Social Express. Results indicated that the treatment group showed significant improvements in social motivation compared to the control group. No significant main effects were found in regards to other social skills, internalizing problems, adaptive skills, parental stress, or life satisfaction; however, it should be noted that this study is limited by a small sample size. Other significant effects may exist, and should be investigated in the future with a larger sample size.

Differences In Narcissistic Presentation In Abused And Non-Abused Children And Adolescents, Mallory Laine Malkin

Dissertations

The present study examined whether children and adolescents who have been victims of sexual or physical abuse report higher levels of narcissistic tendencies than children and adolescents who have not been victims of abuse. Inaddition to narcissism, internalizing symptoms, externalizing behaviors, and risky behaviors were evaluated, as such issues have been associated with both maltreatment (Baer & Maschi, 2003) and narcissism (Barry & Malkin, 2010; Bushman & Baumeister, 1998). One-hundred fifty- six (156) children and adolescents (100 females, 56 males) ranging in age from 8 to 17 (M = 12.90, SD = 2.66) were recruited as participants. The vast majority …

Contribution Of Reactive And Proactive Control To Children’S Working Memory Performance: Insight From Item Recall Durations In Response Sequence Planning, Nicolas Chevalier, Tiffany D. James, Sandra A. Wiebe, Jennifer Mize Nelson, Kimberly Espy

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The present study addressed whether developmental improvement in working memory span task performance relies upon a growing ability to proactively plan response sequences during childhood. Two hundred thirteen children completed a working memory span task in which they used a touchscreen to reproduce orally presented sequences of animal names. Children were assessed longitudinally at 7 time points between 3 and 10 years of age. Twenty-one young adults also completed the same task. Proactive response sequence planning was assessed by comparing recall durations for the 1st item (preparatory interval) and subsequent items. At preschool age, the preparatory interval was generally shorter …

Assessing Intern Impact Factors For Program Evaluation And Improvement, John Brady, Randy T. Busse, Jeanne Anne Carriere, Michael Hass, Kelly S. Kennedy

Education Faculty Articles and Research

We present the results of a program evaluation system for examining school psychology interns' impact on the academic and behavioral functioning of children. Outcome data from a variety of single-case problem-solving interventions conducted from 2008-2012 indicated overall moderate, positive effects. Global supervisor ratings indicated strong perceptions of the interns' positive impact on the children they served.

The Level Of Parental Conflict And Children's Behavioral Reactions To Divorce, Cindi Jo Settle

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This research investigated the level of parental conflict as a contributor to children’s behavioral difficulties up to one year after parental separation. Participants were parents who had been court ordered to attend the parent education class sponsored by the Kanawha County Family Court in Charleston, West Virginia. The Conflict Tactics Scale 2 (CTS2) was used to identify marital conflict and the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 (CBCL) parent report was used to determine childhood behavior problems. Correlation and multiple linear regression analysis found that children who were traumatized by domestic violence suffered from anxiety, depression, withdrawal symptoms, attention problems, somatic complaints, …