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Full-Text Articles in Sociology

Antecedents Of Parental Psychological Control: A Test Of Bowen's Theory, Spencer D. Bradshaw Apr 2011

Antecedents Of Parental Psychological Control: A Test Of Bowen's Theory, Spencer D. Bradshaw

Theses and Dissertations

Parental psychological control has been found to be associated with both internalized and externalized problems for youth and adolescents. Research contributing to an understanding of the possible antecedents of parental psychological control is both limited and of need; specifically regarding parents' psychological attributes. This study sample included 323 two-parent families and an identified target child from each family. Bowen's theory of family systems, [chronic] stress, and differentiation of self and its relation to parental psychological control was examined. Differentiation of self was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between chronic stress and parental psychological control. Differentiation was conceptualized and measured using …


Personality And Relationship Satisfaction: Evaluating The Direct Associations Between Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Extraversion, And Relationship Satisfaction In Romantic Couple Relationships, Sarah Lefevre Tackett Apr 2011

Personality And Relationship Satisfaction: Evaluating The Direct Associations Between Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Extraversion, And Relationship Satisfaction In Romantic Couple Relationships, Sarah Lefevre Tackett

Theses and Dissertations

Specifically, using a sample of 2,848 couples from the RELATE dataset, a model was tested examining the direct associations between personality factors (neuroticism, agreeableness, and extraversion) and relationship satisfaction in romantic couple relationships. The results indicated that lower levels of neuroticism, higher levels of agreeableness, and lower levels of extraversion were associated with greater relationship satisfaction. In particular, ratings of agreeableness had the strongest associations with satisfaction for males and females, while neuroticism had the next strongest associations, followed by extraversion. Paths between male variables and female variables and satisfaction were not significantly different; however, slight gender differences were present …


Metabolic Control, Marital Conflict, Caregiver Burden And Psychological Control In Parents Of Children With Type 1 Diabetes, Ann P. Jubber Apr 2011

Metabolic Control, Marital Conflict, Caregiver Burden And Psychological Control In Parents Of Children With Type 1 Diabetes, Ann P. Jubber

Theses and Dissertations

Using data from a purposive sample of 78 parents of children with type 1 diabetes, relationships were examined between the level of metabolic control of the child with diabetes (as measured by the HbA1c percentage), parents' marital conflict, caregiver burden, and use of psychological control. Also explored were family income and the education levels of mothers and fathers. Differences between mothers and fathers were also considered. Better metabolic control (lower HbA1c) was related to lower levels of fathers' caregiver burden. Marital conflict was also associated with mothers' and fathers' caregiver burden. Finally, mothers' caregiver burden predicted mothers' use of psychological …


Working Hard Or Hardly Working: Comparing Relationship Self-Regulation Levels Of Cohabiting, Married, And Remarried Individuals, Mallory Jane Meyer Apr 2011

Working Hard Or Hardly Working: Comparing Relationship Self-Regulation Levels Of Cohabiting, Married, And Remarried Individuals, Mallory Jane Meyer

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of relationship self-regulation (RSR) has been shown to be related to relationship satisfaction, yet the differences in RSR ability based on couple type have yet to be examined. This study compared first married, remarried, and cohabiting individuals on their self-reported ability to implement RSR in their relationship, along with their report of satisfaction, positive communication, and negative communication in their relationships. Data was derived from 6,591 participants who were part of the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE) questionnaire data set. Multiple Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) statistics were used, and results showed that while mean differences in RSR were small across …


Examining Predictors Of Optimism In Adolescence: Internal And External Factors, E Chrissy Bulloch Mar 2011

Examining Predictors Of Optimism In Adolescence: Internal And External Factors, E Chrissy Bulloch

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between parenting, adolescent personality, and adolescent optimism. Four hundred and eighty families with at least one adolescent child in the Seattle, Washington area completed a series of questionnaires assessing parenting style, personality, and optimism. Results from hierarchical regression analyses indicated that there is a small, yet significant, portion of the variance in optimism explained by parenting and personality individually, but that the relationship between optimism, parenting, and personality dynamics is far more complex than originally anticipated. Further research is needed to examine the nature of these relationships and to provide a more comprehensive understanding of …


Somatoform Disorder: Treatment Utilization And Cost By Mental Health Professions, Lori Barker Morton Mar 2011

Somatoform Disorder: Treatment Utilization And Cost By Mental Health Professions, Lori Barker Morton

Theses and Dissertations

Somatoform disorder is a prevalent mental health disorder in the United States. This disorder costs the United States one billion dollars annually. Medical providers report somatoform disorder is difficult to treat. Previous studies have shown that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective at reducing symptoms of somatoform disorder. Unfortunately, little research has been done on treatment outcomes and cost of somatoform disorder, particularly by profession to reduce health care costs for somatoform patients and providers. Administrative data from CIGNA for 149 somatoform disorder cases were analyzed to determine the cost, number of sessions, dropout rates, and recidivism rates for somatoform …


Relational Diagnosis And Psychotherapy Treatment Cost Effectiveness, Adam Mousley Moore Mar 2011

Relational Diagnosis And Psychotherapy Treatment Cost Effectiveness, Adam Mousley Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Despite a call by researchers for estimates of the treatment clinical and cost effectiveness for relational problems, very little has been done to answer this call. The present study is an examination of actual treatment costs and recidivism rates for patients treated for a relational problem (either in individual or conjoint therapy sessions) in the CIGNA network. Despite the fact that this study compares treatment provider cost-effectiveness for treating relational problems, analyses do not control for average amounts paid by provider license type. Policymakers and third-party payers may use such clinical-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness data to make decisions regarding treatment of …


The Effects Of Parental Support, Best Friend Support, And Parental Psychological Control On Loneliness In Latino Adolescents, Denhi Hortensia Chaney Mar 2011

The Effects Of Parental Support, Best Friend Support, And Parental Psychological Control On Loneliness In Latino Adolescents, Denhi Hortensia Chaney

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the relationship of parental support, parental psychological control, and best friend support among Latino adolescents and loneliness using self-esteem as a mediating variable. The sample included 839 Hispanic (primarily Mexican) 9th – 12th graders from west Texas area school districts who were given a self-reported survey to assess parental behaviors and adolescent depression. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), findings indicated that neither maternal nor paternal support was found to be significantly related to loneliness in girls. Only maternal support was found to be significantly related to loneliness in boys. On the other hand, neither maternal nor …


Emulating Gossip Girl: Aggressive And Prosocial Material In Adolescent Novels And Associations With Behavior, Laura Ann Stockdale Mar 2011

Emulating Gossip Girl: Aggressive And Prosocial Material In Adolescent Novels And Associations With Behavior, Laura Ann Stockdale

Theses and Dissertations

Decades of researchers have found that exposure to aggressive content in multiple forms of media is associated with both physically (Bushman & Anderson, 2001) and relationally (Coyne, Nelson, Graham-Kevan, Keister, & Grant, 2010) aggressive behavior. Similarly, other researchers have found that exposure to prosocial content in multiple forms of media is associated with increased prosocial behavior (Mares & Underwood, 2008). While these associations have been studied in a variety of media, books as a form of media have received less research attention. The current study examined the associations between the content of adolescents' favorite novels and their normative beliefs about …


Costs Of Treating Depression With Individual Versus Family Therapy, Sareta Dobbs Head Dec 2010

Costs Of Treating Depression With Individual Versus Family Therapy, Sareta Dobbs Head

Theses and Dissertations

Marital discord contributes to the development and continuation of depression and to the recurrence of depressive episodes for those in troubled relationships. Early research suggests that family therapy may reduce the severity and frequency of depressive episodes through modification of family interactional patterns. This would result in a reduction in the cost of treating depression. This study summarizes the literature linking family dynamics with depression. Then,using a sample taken from a large health maintenance organization, data was statistically analyzed to measure the effectiveness of both individual and family therapy as delivered by different types of mental health professionals. Results indicated …


Predicting Marital Dissolution Using Data From Both Spouses, Chao-Chin Lu Dec 2010

Predicting Marital Dissolution Using Data From Both Spouses, Chao-Chin Lu

Theses and Dissertations

The present research studies marital dissolution using data from both spouses from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) and uses the method of multiple imputation to handle missing data. Role theory and another four approaches (social exchange theory, stake theory, gender perspective and heterogeneity perspective) are used to make a methodological argument why using data from both spouses is necessary to study marital stability. Five data sets are imputed and there are 3,777 observations in each imputed data set. Main research findings are as followed. First, the model fits of the data from both spouses on marital dissolution …


Evaluation Of Relate Using Rasch Analysis, Keitaro Yoshida Nov 2010

Evaluation Of Relate Using Rasch Analysis, Keitaro Yoshida

Theses and Dissertations

The importance of valid and reliable couple assessment has been increasing with growth in research on couple and family relationships as well as in therapeutic and educational interventions for couples and families. However, self-report instruments–the most popular type of couple assessment–have been criticized at least partly due to limitations in Classical Test Theory (CTT) which has been used solely in developing and evaluating couple assessments for decades. In an effort to address the limitations in the sole use of CTT in developing self-report couple assessments, the present study integrated a modern test theory called Item Response Theory (IRT) and evaluated …


Parental Involvement And Academic Achievement Among Children Of Immigrants, Wade Clinton Jacobsen Nov 2010

Parental Involvement And Academic Achievement Among Children Of Immigrants, Wade Clinton Jacobsen

Theses and Dissertations

Using Bourdieu's model of social and cultural reproduction, I examine student achievement and parental involvement levels across seven immigrant nationalities: Cambodian, Cuban, Filipino, Laotian, Mexican, Nicaraguan, and Vietnamese. I then analyze the relationships between five parental involvement types and GPA, while controlling for student, family, and school characteristics. Finally, I test for interaction effects to examine variations across groups. Results point to parent expectations as a strong predictor of student success, especially among Cubans, Filipinos, and Vietnamese, while other dimensions of parental involvement have little or no effect. Bourdieu's model may not be adequate among immigrant parents and their children …


The Relation Of The Expression Of Offense To Forgiving, Laura Grace Hall Nov 2010

The Relation Of The Expression Of Offense To Forgiving, Laura Grace Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Forgiveness is an essential component of relationship growth and healing, with academic, professional, and public interest in research and writing on the topic continually increasing over the past two decades. Indignation is endemic to interpersonal offense, and a key component of the forgiveness process; few, however, have written about the potentially facilitative role that it may play. Disparate conceptualizations of indignation among researchers and therapists may impede therapeutic progress, individually and interpersonally. This study presents a review of social science literature on forgiveness and a new model of the emotional response to offense that positions corrective, protective indignation on a …


Clergy Marriages: Couple Perception Of Marital Adjustment As The Husband Serves As A Bishop In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Deena D. Strong Nov 2010

Clergy Marriages: Couple Perception Of Marital Adjustment As The Husband Serves As A Bishop In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Deena D. Strong

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study was designed to produce a theoretical model to illustrate marital adjustment as a husband becomes a bishop (a lay-clergy position) in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Individual interviews were conducted with the husband and wife of six married couples wherein the husband was currently serving as a bishop. Grounded theory methods and elements of phenomenological research were used to collect and analyze the data. The model presented depicts the adjustment process that begins with the marital relationship prior to the husband becoming an LDS bishop. The husband then becomes an LDS bishop and begins …


Sibling Relationships, Stress, And Well-Being During Early Adolescence, Alisa Danielle Cox Van Langeveld Aug 2010

Sibling Relationships, Stress, And Well-Being During Early Adolescence, Alisa Danielle Cox Van Langeveld

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether the quality of the sibling relationship can alter the negative impact of stress on child well being. Participants were of 311 families (236 two parent families and 75 single parent families) with an adolescent child (M age of child at Time 1 = 11.25, SD = .99, 51% female) who took part in the Flourishing Families Project. Data were assessed using both a multiple time point cross-section and a two wave longitudinal design. Hierarchal linear regression suggested that when assessing the direct effects of sibling on well being, sibling affection is a better predictor of …


Sleep, Bmi, And Work-Family Conflict: A Gender Comparison Of U.S. Workers, Blake Lee Jones Aug 2010

Sleep, Bmi, And Work-Family Conflict: A Gender Comparison Of U.S. Workers, Blake Lee Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine how sleep problems, Body Mass Index (BMI), and poverty were related to several work, personal, and family variables in a sample of married male and female workers in the United States. The data for this study came from the National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) 2008. This large, nationally representative dataset provided a resource for examining potential gender differences in variables that have been linked to sleep problems and increases in BMI, as well as how each of these variables relate to several work, personal, and family life outcomes, including …


Moral Identification: An Alternative Approach To Framing Second-Generation Immigrants' Ethnic Identity Ambivalence, Benjamin R. Brady Jul 2010

Moral Identification: An Alternative Approach To Framing Second-Generation Immigrants' Ethnic Identity Ambivalence, Benjamin R. Brady

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary sociological research on second-generation immigrants living in the United States is lined with questions of ethnic inclusion and transnational participation. Many scholars are interested in how the children of immigrants relate to their parents' ethnic identity while being raised in a new land. Noting that the majority of scholars in this field approach ethnic identity within a social constructionist perspective, in this study I explore the ways that identity ambivalence and ethnic belonging are framed. Specifically, I critically question the ways that an ethnic identity is assumed to be valued and asserted in a constructionist model. After presenting a …


Parenting Dimensions And Adolescent Sharing And Concealment, Chelom Eastwood Leavitt Jul 2010

Parenting Dimensions And Adolescent Sharing And Concealment, Chelom Eastwood Leavitt

Theses and Dissertations

Given potential risk factors in the lives of adolescents, parents are usually motivated to monitor and protect their adolescents. There is a need to better understand what combinations of parental dimensions and practice best influence an adolescent's propensity to disclose or conceal personal information with their parents. This paper examines how parenting dimensions (warmth, psychological control, and harsh punishment) and the parenting practice of solicitation influence an adolescent's propensity to disclose or conceal information. Adolescents in 106 families (53 females; predominantly Caucasian) reported on their mothers' and fathers' parenting dimensions as well as their parents' effort to solicit information. Factor …


Age Differences In Marriage: Exploring Predictors Of Marital Quality In Husband-Older, Wife-Older, And Same-Age Marriages, Brandan E. Wheeler Jul 2010

Age Differences In Marriage: Exploring Predictors Of Marital Quality In Husband-Older, Wife-Older, And Same-Age Marriages, Brandan E. Wheeler

Theses and Dissertations

Using data from a nationally representative sample of 723 married adults, this study explored the association of age differences between spouses at the time of marriage on various aspects of marital quality years into the marriage. Four groups (full sample, husband-older, wife-older, and same-age marriages) were compared to see how marital quality was affected by age difference and several other moderating variables. Spousal interactions increased among wife-older marriages, but not among the other groups. An increased level of husband participation in household labor was linked with an increase in marital happiness and a decrease in marital problems for wife-older marriages. …


The Process Of Reintegration: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Realvictory Program And Criminogenic Factors, Celeste Marie Davis Jul 2010

The Process Of Reintegration: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Realvictory Program And Criminogenic Factors, Celeste Marie Davis

Theses and Dissertations

With prison populations on the rise, it is imperative to find re-entry programs that effectively decrease recidivism. Understanding the experiences of participants and the criminogenic factors that provoke and prohibit their successful reintegration is a vital aspect of evaluating re-entry programs. With sixteen in-depth interviews, this study evaluates the pilot re-entry program, RealVictory, by exploring the opinions and experiences of its participants including the key criminogenic factors affecting their successes and failures during the reintegration process. The two most pervasive criminogenic factors affecting recidivism for participants of this study were support systems and desire to change. While both the control …


A Different Voice: Nonadopted White Siblings Talk About Their Experiences Growing Up With Black Siblings, Andrea Genice Hardeman Jul 2010

A Different Voice: Nonadopted White Siblings Talk About Their Experiences Growing Up With Black Siblings, Andrea Genice Hardeman

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the notion of racial empathy and whether or not the nonadopted white siblings in transracially adoptive families develop the ability to empathize within the context of race. Specifically, I look at the following three questions: Do white siblings who have black adopted siblings develop racial empathy – the ability for one to personally identify with racially sensitive issues that affect persons of a separate racial category – toward blacks outside of their family by virtue of their interactions with the adoptee? What are the different dimensions of racial empathy? How is racial empathy displayed at each dimension? …


The Relationship Between Couple Attachment And Sexual Satisfaction With Covert Relational Aggression As A Mediator: A Longitudinal Study, Anthony Allen Hughes Jul 2010

The Relationship Between Couple Attachment And Sexual Satisfaction With Covert Relational Aggression As A Mediator: A Longitudinal Study, Anthony Allen Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Using questionnaires, self report, and partner report of spouse, this longitudinal investigation examined the relationship between couple insecure attachment, covert relational aggression, and sexual satisfaction of each partner one year after their initial assessment, while controlling for sexual satisfaction at the time of our initial assessment. Findings showed that wives were more impacted by both actor and partner effects of covert relational aggression. Wives' sexual satisfaction was predicted by the increase in insecure attachment of both self and spouse through covert relational aggression. Wives insecure attachment did not cause a significant decrease in husbands' sexual satisfaction at time 2. Husbands …


State Regulation Of Assisted Reproductive Technology, Jonathan J. Morgan Jul 2010

State Regulation Of Assisted Reproductive Technology, Jonathan J. Morgan

Theses and Dissertations

State regulation of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been occurring since the inception of earlier technological advances such as artificial insemination to aid human reproduction. I provide a brief overview of the current regulation of ART in the U.S. and the literature on state regulation. Unlike previous studies of ART regulation which use content analysis or case studies of individual state laws I estimate ART regulation for the entire U.S. by using a series of random effects logistic regression models for the time period 1995-2006. To my knowledge this is the first quantitative analysis of ART regulation. I test the …


The Relationship Between Attachment Related Family-Of-Origin Experiences And Sexual Satisfaction In Married Couples, James G. Strait Jul 2010

The Relationship Between Attachment Related Family-Of-Origin Experiences And Sexual Satisfaction In Married Couples, James G. Strait

Theses and Dissertations

This study of married couples examined the relationship between perceptions of attachment related family-of-origin experiences and sexual satisfaction directly and when mediated by marital quality. The sample consisted of 3,953 married couples who responded to the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE). The nested model showed that more positive overall family-of-origin experiences and parent-child relationships were related to higher sexual satisfaction. When adding marital quality as a mediator, overall family-of-origin experience and the parent-child relationship were predictive of higher sexual satisfaction when mediated by marital quality but removed most direct effects to sexual satisfaction. There was a strong positive relationship between marital quality …


Humor As A Moderating Variable Of The Relationship Between Family Conflict And Self-Regulation In Children: A Two-Year Panel Study, Kristiane Madsen Jul 2010

Humor As A Moderating Variable Of The Relationship Between Family Conflict And Self-Regulation In Children: A Two-Year Panel Study, Kristiane Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

Conflict is a common problem among families, and children may be negatively affected by this family dynamic. Some family characteristics may protect children from negative effects, even in the midst of conflict. Though little research has been conducted addressing familial effects of humor, the current longitudinal study examined the moderating effect of humor on the relationship between family conflict and child self regulation. Two hundred ninety six two-parent families from the Seattle area were surveyed and observed as a party of Brigham Young University's Flourishing Family Project. Family conflict and coded humor from an observation task were assessed at time …


The Relationship Of Equal Division Of Labor And Satisfaction Of Division Of Labor To Positive Parenting As Mediated By Parents' Relationship Quality, Lauren Alyssa Bone Barnes Jul 2010

The Relationship Of Equal Division Of Labor And Satisfaction Of Division Of Labor To Positive Parenting As Mediated By Parents' Relationship Quality, Lauren Alyssa Bone Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

Couples learn to negotiate a complex intersection between household labor and family processes. Using both observational coding and questionnaire self report, this study examined the relationship between father and mothers' reported equality with their division-of-labor, their satisfaction with division-of-labor and their respective positive parenting as observed in taped interaction with a target child while controlling for quality of the relationship between the parents. Findings showed that egalitarian division of labor was positively related to satisfaction in division of labor and that egalitarian division of labor was a significant predictor of mothers' relationship quality, but not fathers' relationship quality. It also …


Emotional Intimacy, Coparenting, And Family Work: A Latent Class Growth Analysis, Adam Michael Galovan Jul 2010

Emotional Intimacy, Coparenting, And Family Work: A Latent Class Growth Analysis, Adam Michael Galovan

Theses and Dissertations

From a family systems theoretical view, this paper uses both variable-oriented and person-oriented research approaches to examine parental marriage as a dynamic, interdependent system, and extends the literature by examining parental marriage across a 15 year time span. Employing latent growth curve analysis of 490 mother-father dyads from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, this study considers multiple aspects of the relationship husbands and wives have together as spouses (emotional intimacy), parents (ideas about discipline and a child-centered vs. adult-centered orientation to childrearing), coparents (agreement regarding parenting beliefs and discipline), and household managers (agreement on the …


Childhood Physical And Sexual Abuse And Their Effects On Adult Romantic Relationship Quality: Gender Differences And Clinical Implications, Carly D. Lebaron Jul 2010

Childhood Physical And Sexual Abuse And Their Effects On Adult Romantic Relationship Quality: Gender Differences And Clinical Implications, Carly D. Lebaron

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between self-reported childhood physical and sexual abuse, relationship quality, possible gender differences, and clinical implications. Three hundred thirty eight women and 296 men who sought services at a university mental health clinic in the northeast region of the United States completed a 30-minute self-report assessment questionnaire before their first therapy session. Among the items in the questionnaire were measures of childhood physical abuse and sexual abuse, relationship stability, problems areas in the relationship, and other demographic information. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that childhood physical abuse influenced relationship quality for both men and women …


Early Adolescents' Forgiveness Of Parents: An Analysis Of Determinants, Katherine Janet Christensen Jun 2010

Early Adolescents' Forgiveness Of Parents: An Analysis Of Determinants, Katherine Janet Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined forgiveness within the parent-adolescent relationship. Theoretical foundations and definitions of forgiveness were examined, after which a relational approach to forgiveness was explored. The direct influences of the quality of mother- and father-child relationships (parent and observed reports) and modeled marital forgiveness on early adolescents' forgiveness toward both mothers and fathers (child report) were examined; the mediating roles of parent forgiveness of child and adolescent social-cognitive skills (empathy and emotional regulation) were also analyzed. Mother, father, and child self-reported questionnaires and in-home observational data were taken from Time 1 and Time 3 (two years later) of the …