Child Psychology Commons^™

Teachers’ Perspectives On Behavioral Classroom Expectations Of Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Jennifer E. Brewer

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this study was that adolescents with emotional and behavior disorders (EBD) were failing in general education courses. The purpose was to investigate how teachers’ perceptions and biases influenced EBD students. Participants included five teachers (two special education teachers and three general education teachers) from each of Grades 6, 7, and 8 recruited from social media. The study was guided by the case study research design, and the interview instrument was the Indepth Interview Protocol. Data analysis was guided by a coding system that facilitated searching the interview responses for themes.

Research Question 1 queried about forms …

A Bad Bet For Adolescents: Psychological Perspectives On Sports Betting & Digital Gambling Technologies, Kaitlyn Helfrich

CMC Senior Theses

Digital sports betting is a rapidly expanding sector of the gambling industry, allowing users to place wagers on the outcomes of sporting events from virtually anywhere. While structurally comparable to traditional gambling systems, sports betting is often perceived as a more socially acceptable and accessible alternative, contributing to its growing appeal and largely positive sentiment among Americans. Yet, in the seven years since sports betting has become legalized, growing numbers of Americans have reported psychological and financial problems stemming from problem gambling. Of particular concern is the increasing percentage of adolescents engaging with these platforms, despite legal restrictions on underage …

Built By Family: How Early Environments Shape Transformational Leaders And Star Followers, Gabrielle J. Ong

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines how early family environments—defined in this paper by parenting and attachment styles—influence the development of transformational leadership and star followership qualities in children. By integrating research from behavioral and developmental psychology, it explores how authoritative parenting and secure attachment foster self-concept, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. These traits, in turn, predict transformational leadership behaviors such as intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration, as well as star followership traits like active engagement and independent thinking. Through this, a conceptual model is proposed to illustrate the pathways from parenting and attachment to leadership and followership outcomes, mediated by personality, self-concept, and …

Utilizing The Spatial Evaluation Of Language And Flexibility For Youth (Self-Y) In Clinical Case Conceptualization, Katelyn Frahm

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience challenges with restricted and repetitive behaviors, relating directly to challenges with psychological flexibility (Hyman et al., 2020; Hayes et al., 2006). Unfortunately, the history of applied behavior analysis has extended harmful implications of treatment that have focused on compliance training and punishment, often worsening psychological flexibility (Sandoval-Norton et al., 2019). Research is calling behavior analysis to combine flexible approaches, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, with technologies exploring the intricacies of individual relational networks (Hayes et al., 1999; Hayes et al., 2022; Hayes & King, 2024). The present study introduced the …

Improving Adherence In Adolescent Kidney Transplant Recipients, Kaylen Munoz

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Background: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) kidney transplant recipients face unique challenges in maintaining long-term graft function and overall health. Nonadherence to immunosuppressive therapy and difficulties transitioning from pediatric to adult care contribute to the increased risk of graft failure in this population. Despite proposed tools identifying adherence barriers, there is a lack of implementation and targeted interventions addressing the barriers AYA transplant recipients face. Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured transition program that utilizes an adherence barrier tool and adherence-promoting interventions in improving health outcomes for adolescent and young adult (AYA) kidney transplant recipients. …

The Psychosocial Effects Of Chemotherapy On The Adolescent Population: Implementing Community Building Programs, Kareena Jakhu, Princess Kyra R. Anicete

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Background: During the adolescent stage (13-18), individuals go through role confusion and seek much of their validation from their fellow peers. Forming a strong sense of community is crucial in this stage of development as it helps with creating a foundation for who they want to become. Chemotherapy strips this aspect of socialization due to its ability to suppress the immune system. When socialization is taken away, adolescents face loneliness, which greatly impacts their development. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to look into the adolescent population undergoing chemotherapy and help them aid the lack of socialization caused by …

The Effects Of Strong Social And Parental Support Compared To Low Or Absent Support In Lgbtqia+ Youth Mental Health, Kassandra Bautista

Nursing | Student Research Posters

Throughout history, sexual and gender minorities have faced a range of emotional and psychological challenges shaped by their unique experiences and interactions with society, family, and peers. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), homosexuality was classified as a sociopathic personality disturbance in the first edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I) in 1952, and it remained listed as a mental disorder until it was removed in 1973. Individuals that identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other identities within the LGBTQIA+ community were historically seen as abnormal and were often subjected to ethically problematic …

Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities As A Risk For Child Maltreatment, Maddie Hawley

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) and child maltreatment. Data from the 2022 National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) from the state of Minnesota was analyzed. The sample was made up of 38,083 reports of child maltreatment, where the average age of the child was 7.66 years. 51.2% of the children in the sample were female, and White children comprised the largest portion of the sample at 39.6%. Results of this study showed that children with IDDs are at an elevated risk of child maltreatment compared to typically …

The Demand For Educational Functions Of Study Tour Products: From Students’ Perspectives, Yaqi Yu, Azizan Marzuki

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Few academic studies have comprehensively examined the actual demands of students regarding the educational function of study tours. This paper develops a demand index system based on three dimensions: cognitive, affective, and behavioral demands. A questionnaire survey was administered to 397 students. Initially, student demands were categorized using the Kano model. Subsequently, the “dependence” and “expectancy” characteristics were analyzed through the dissatisfaction index (DI) and satisfaction index (SI). The impact of fulfilling each demand on dissatisfaction and satisfaction levels was then determined. The results indicated that among the three dimensions, there were 7 must-be demands, 6 one-dimensional demands, 8 attractive …

Climate Change And Parenthood: Impact On Family Size Decision-Making, Minha Hossain, Jennifer Lai, Mindy Engle-Friedman

Publications and Research

This study explores how parental status relates to childbearing decisions in the context of climate change and builds on prior research linking climate anxiety to reduced family size intentions. A survey of 114 participants revealed that non-parents were significantly more likely than parents to plan to have fewer children and to express concerns about climate change. These findings underscore differences in how parents and non-parents approach future reproductive decisions and highlight the role of climate-related concerns in shaping family planning intentions.

Parents’ Perspectives On Emotional Regulation In Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Diana Stewart

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The current study’s main research question was whether emotional dysregulation of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects parental stress levels. This project examined various negative emotional reactions, such as anger, sadness, worry, anxiety, and tantrums that were present in children with an ASD diagnosis, ages 4 to 13. The research consisted of five psychological assessments with strong psychometric properties. The whole survey was supposed to be filled out by a parent or a caregiver of a child, since children are considered a vulnerable population when it comes to research. The first assessment was the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST) …

Wiring Attachment, Alexander K. Bacon

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis began with a question: can diagrams create understanding, or only reflect it? Through paintings that layer automotive wiring schematics with family photographs, I explore how the human attachment system resists easy mapping. Using digital tools like Photoshop and scanning, alongside analog methods such as papier-collé and photo transfer, I examine how systems built for clarity—like wiring diagrams—contrast with the layered, often messy realities of human relationships. Drawing from attachment theory’s empirical foundation, rather than the metaphorical leanings of psychoanalysis, my work investigates how emotional bonds form, falter, and repair over time. Material loss and layering are not flaws, …

The Role Of Parental Self-Efficacy During The Preschool Years: Links To Parenting Behaviors And Parent-Child Relationship Quality In Dual-Risk Families, Catalina M. Borges

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parental self-efficacy (PSE) has been shown to play a critical role in shaping parenting behaviors and parent-child interactions. Examining whether domain-specific PSE like parental self-efficacy helping the child succeed in school (PSEHCSS), influences broad parenting behaviors and parent-child relationships is especially important for families experiencing elevated stress. This secondary analysis explored whether PSEHCSS predicted parenting behaviors and parent-child relationship quality over the preschool years in dual-risk families (i.e., low socioeconomic status and a child with developmental concerns). It was hypothesized that higher PSEHCSS would predict more positive and fewer negative parenting behaviors, and greater parent-child relationship quality; parenting behaviors would …

The Developmental Impact Of Childhood Abuse: Heart Rate Variability, Adult Psychopathology, And The Protective Role Of Social Engagement, Rachel R. Mitchell

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Childhood abuse is a prevalent experience that can have a profound impact on health and well-being. Extensive literature has linked childhood abuse to an elevated risk of psychopathology, including suicidality and substance use. Recent neuroimaging and psychophysiological research suggest that childhood abuse may influence the development of the body’s stress response systems. Exposure to chronic and uncontrollable stress, such as childhood abuse, has been implicated in the dysregulation of neural circuits that govern autonomic control and emotion regulation. This study examined resting high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) as an index of physiological regulation and its associations with adult mental health …

The Effects Of Mindfulness On Chronic Pain In Children And Adolescents: A Systematic Review, Sophie Parks

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions have become increasingly popular in recent years. Typically, mindfulness-based interventions and their effects on mental health and/or adult populations have been explored in the literature. Limited research has been completed looking at mindfulness’ impacts on other facets, including chronic pain symptoms. Additionally, some research has been conducted to analyze mindfulness and its effects on school aged children and their day-to-day functioning with promising results. In this systematic literature review, mindfulness interventions and their effects on children and adolescents who experience chronic pain were explored. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework was …

Risk Factors For Executive Functioning Development In Preschool Children With Type 1 Diabetes, Victoria L. Ledsham

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Links between Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and decreased cognitive functioning in children are well documented, but research on executive functioning (EF) in this population is more limited. Multiple T1D-related risk factors (e.g., hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, glycemic variability, diabetic ketoacidosis) for EF have been established throughout the literature, but their individual effects have been difficult to determine given their interrelated nature. In result, cumulative risk has been proposed as a more robust predictor of EF differences in children with T1D. Moreover, despite the importance of early T1D onset as a risk factor for EF impairment, no studies have previously investigated EF in …

Psychometric Evaluation: Extending The Reliability And Validity Of The Teacher Attribution Measure For Early Elementary (Tam-Ee), Kerensa R. Nagle

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attributions of student challenging behavior have the potential to influence teacher-student relationships. However, the literature on teachers’ attributions of challenging behavior is sparse and lacks measurement standardization. This limits the replicability and generalizability of research findings. To determine if teacher attributions of student challenging behaviors influence teacher-student relationships, a measure demonstrating a specific score reliability and validity profile is needed. The present study evaluated the item- and scale-level score reliability and validity of a measure of teacher attribution of student challenging behavior, the Teacher Attribution Measure for Early Elementary (TAM-EE; Nemer, 2019), within a sample of teachers (N …

Narratives Of Illness Identity Development In Adolescents With Cancer, Rachel Holder

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Adolescence is a pivotal developmental stage characterized by the development of independence, autonomy, and identity. A diagnosis of cancer can be disruptive to this process (Grinyer, 2009; Hazen et al., 2008; Neylon et al., 2023). How one incorporates cancer into their identity, or illness identity, has been associated with clinical outcomes, including adherence, life satisfaction, psychosocial functioning, and health-related quality of life and could be a target for supportive interventions aimed at adolescents with cancer (Commissariat et al., 2020; Luyckx et al., 2008, 2018; Meyer & Lamash, 2020; Oris et al., 2016; Raymaekers et al., 2020). Prior literature has …

Resilience After Prenatal Substance Exposure: Exploring The Role Of Cumulative And Specific Protective Factors In Predicting Toddlerhood Temperament Profiles, Anjeli Elkins

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Objective

Prenatal exposure to common substances, including nicotine, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates, and alcohol, has been linked to a wide range of psychiatric disorders and neurodevelopmental impairments. Identifying protective factors that may improve temperament profiles in toddlers who have experienced prenatal substance exposure may protect against these adverse outcomes and is crucial for developing targeted early interventions.

Methods

Participants (n=92; Mage = 28.7 years; 47.0% White) were biological mothers of toddlers (Mage = 22.6 months) with prenatal substance exposure. Mothers responded to an online survey that gathered information on substance use during pregnancy, proposed perinatal protective factors, and child temperament. …

The Impact Of Peer Observational Learning On Honesty Following A Transgression, Hannah M. Sliman, George H. Noell

Psychology Faculty Publications

Parents and teachers worry about how lying affects children's development and socialization, as research links persistent lying to delinquency, aggression, and conduct issues. To investigate this, we examined two groups: Honest and Praise versus a Control Group, exploring how exposure influenced children's honesty and confession after transgressions. The study aimed to see if observing peers receive praise for honesty could promote truthfulness. Gender's impact on reporting honesty was assessed. Results showed no significant difference in honesty between the HP and CG groups; children confessed at similar rates in both conditions. Gender did not affect honest reporting. These findings differ from …