Developmental Psychology Commons^™

Adult Relationships In Multiple Contexts And Associations With Adolescent Mental Health, Gordon Capp, Ruth Berkowitz, Kate Sullivan, Ron Avi Astor, Kris T. De Pedro, Tamika D. Gilreath, Eric Rice

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: Adult relationships provide critical support for adolescents because of their potential to foster positive development and provide protective influences. Few studies examine multiple ecological layers of adult relationships in connection with well-being and depression. This study examines the influence of relationships from multiple contexts for adolescents and their mental health.
Method: Data from the 2011 California Healthy Kids Survey was used for this analysis; a sample of 7th-, 9th-, and 11th-grade students (N = 14,931) was drawn from 6 school districts in Southern California.
Results: Regression analyses revealed that parent, teacher, and community adult support were …

Age-Related Differences In Moral Identity Across Adulthood, Tobias Krettenauer, Andrea Lourdes Murua, Fanli Jia

Psychology Faculty Publications

In this study, age-related differences in adults' moral identity were investigated. Moral identity was conceptualized a context-dependent self-structure that becomes differentiated and (re)integrated in the course of development and that involves a broad range of value-orientations. Based on a cross-sectional sample of 252 participants aged 14 to 65 years (148 women, M = 33.5 years, SD = 16.9) and a modification of the Good Self Assessment, it was demonstrated that mean-level of moral identity (averaged across the contexts of family, school/work and community) significantly increased in the adult years, whereas cross-context differentiation showed a non-linear trend peaking at the age …

Preschooler Digital Usage And Visual Spatial Performance: Implications For The Classroom, Kathleen Keefe-Cooperman

Faculty of Counseling & Development Publications

This research to practice paper summarizes a study focused on typically developing preschooler’s integrated technology usage. Different amounts of usage were found based on parental education, ethnic/racial identity, and SES. Television viewing patterns from a 2010 study were also compared to a 2014 group of children. Preschoolers from the 2014 group were watching similar amounts of television, but also had increased technological device usage. Children had greater total screen time than in the past. Lower maternal education, lower SES, and being from a historically disadvantaged background were associated with greater usage time. Preschoolers with higher reported digital media usage had …

Digital Media And Preschoolers: Implications For Visual Spatial Development, Kathleen Keefe-Cooperman

Faculty of Counseling & Development Publications

Preschoolers’ integrated technology usage was examined related to cognitive and visual spatial functioning. The participants consisted of 492 typically developing preschool children. Parent/caregiver reports of children’s television viewing and digital technology usage, and WPPSI-IV intelligence scale scores and Visual Spatial Composite scores were examined. Preschoolers’ screen time was also compared to a previous 2010 group to look for changes in television viewing patterns following an increase in digital device usage. The results provide evidence of an interaction between digital media usage and visual spatial abilities. Preschoolers with higher reported digital media usage had lower WPPSIIV Visual Spatial Composite scores and …

Parents And Teachers’ Perceptions And Clinical Diagnosis Of Autism Among White And Non-White Groups, Margaret Gopaul

School of Psychology Publications

The pervasiveness of autism has significantly increased over the past 2 decades with the 2014 Center for Disease Control and Prevention report indicating 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Early intervention is recommended as the most effective treatment approach. Nevertheless, previous research has indicated that White children are diagnosed with ASD about 1.5 years earlier than are Non-White children. A current gap remains in literature regarding ASD and different racial groups, and evidence has been inconclusive regarding disparities in identifying and diagnosing ASD. To fill this gap, this study investigated the relationship between child race, …

Breaking The Cycle: An Examination Of Environmental, Cognitive, And Emotional Factors Of Intimate Partner Violence Victim, America Davila

Maria Dittman Library Research Competition: Student Award Winners

Recently, intimate partner violence (IPV) has gained considerable attention as a significant social and public health problem affecting not only adults but also adolescents. Based on Bandura’s social learning theory, considerable research has supported a significant link between growing up in a violent home (DV) and youth dating violence. Expanding on previous studies, we explored the cycle of IPV victimization using a sample of 1,067 adolescents (ages 18-25). We examined whether parental support, dating attitudes, and self-esteem are risk and protective factors of receiving dating aggression. The findings indicate that exposure to aggression in the family, low self-esteem, and the …

Developing A Support Center Without Borders: Enhancing Services For Students Without Documentation, Edith Melendez

2016 Symposium

College students without documentation (students) face many academic support hardships. As defined by the National Immigration Law Center, an undocumented person is a foreign national who resides in the United States with fraudulent documents or entered without authorization. Every year hundreds of motivated students with high potential to succeed in an academic setting enroll into four-year university with hopes of becoming upwardly mobile and contributing to society. Unlike college students with authorization, they have added stress and pressures relating to overcoming financial, social, and educational challenges. Despite these obstacles and legal status, they persevere and achieve academic success along educational …

The Use Of Hrt And Mild-Aversion Therapy To Treat Habitual Behaviors, Mary-Jo Waterbury

2016 Symposium

The effectiveness of habit reversal training (HRT) and mild-aversion therapy were evaluated as a treatment package to reduce my chronic nail biting. This treatment package served to both decrease my nail biting behavior and extinguish it; however, I failed to include HRT’s element of competing response training within the treatment package. As a result, a set of other habitual problem behaviors, including nail, skin and face picking, replaced my nail biting behavior. A second experiment was conducted in which competing response training was included in the treatment package to decrease my nail, skin and face picking behaviors. As a result, …

The Lived Experience Of The Adolescent Sex Offender: A Phenomenological Case Study, Beth Gerhard-Burnham, Lee A. Underwood, Kathryn Speck, Cyrus R. Williams Iii, Carrie Merino, Yolanda Crump

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Treatment for adolescents with sexually maladaptive behaviors is a continuing intervention that is changing and developing as greater understanding about this population of adolescents is obtained. The majority of treatment programs for adolescent sexually maladaptive behavior contain programming components that include cognitive distortions/thinking errors. Interviews including a conceptual mapping exercise were conducted with four adolescents adjudicated to a secure care program for sexual behaviors. All four boys completed an interview and a conceptual map of their perceived experiences as an adolescent with sexual maladaptive behaviors. All interviews were audio recorded. Analysis of the interviews and conceptual mappings yielded five themes …

The Enculturation Experience Of Three Chinese American Adolescents: A Multiple Case Study, Sherry C. Wang, Vicki Plano-Clark, Michael J. Scheel

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The authors designed a qualitative, multiple case study that employed the photovoice method to explore how enculturation is experienced by three Chinese adolescents living with their families in a nonethnically dense cultural community. A total of 18 one-on-one interviews were conducted with three youth and their parents. Photos were also used as elicitation tools to understand the meaning of enculturation for each individual. Case descriptions of each adolescent are presented, followed by five cross-case themes: (a) Self- Identifying as Chinese, (b) Parental Strictness, (c) Multiple Groups of Comparison, (d) (Not) Having a Chinese Community, and (e) Messages to Excel. The …

Prevalence Of Marijuana And Other Substance Use Before And After Washington State’S Change From Legal Medical Marijuana To Legal Medical And Non-Medical Marijuana: Cohort Comparisons In A Sample Of Adolescents, W. Alex Mason, Charles B. Fleming, Jay L. Ringle, Koren Hanson, Thomas J. Gross, Kevin P. Haggerty

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Background—A growing number of states have new legislation extending prior legalization of medical marijuana by allowing non-medical marijuana use for adults. The potential influence of this change in legislation on adolescent marijuana and other substance use (e.g., spillover or substitution effects) is uncertain. We capitalize on an ongoing study to explore the prevalence of marijuana and other substance use in two cohorts of adolescents who experienced the non-medical marijuana law change in Washington State at different ages.

Method—Participants were 8^th graders enrolled in targeted Tacoma, Washington public schools and recruited in two consecutive annual cohorts. The analysis …

Attachment Predicts College Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, And Skills For Working With Infants, Toddlers, And Families, Claire D. Vallotton, Julia C. Torquati, Jean Ispa, Rachel Chazan-Cohen, Jennifer Henk, Maria Fusaro, Carla A. Peterson, Lori A. Roggman, Ann M. Stacks, Gina Cook, Holly Brophy-Herb

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Research Findings:Adults’ attitudes about attachment relationships are central to how they perceive and respond to children. However, little is known about how attachment styles are related to teachers’ attitudes toward and interactions with infants and toddlers. From a survey of 207 students taking early childhood (EC) courses at 4 U.S. universities, we report relations among students’ attachment styles and their (a) career goals, (b) attitudes about caring for and educating infants and young children, and (c) interaction skills for responding in developmentally supportive ways. Overall, attachment security was positively associated with career goals focused on working with younger children, …

Psychological Distress And Revictimization Risk In Youth Victims Of Sexual Abuse, Samantha L. Pittenger, Alayna Schreier, Katie Meidlinger, Jessica K. Pogue, Kate Theimer, Mary Fran Flood, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Psychological distress, including depression and anxiety, has been associated with increased risk for sexual revictimization in youth who have experienced child sexual abuse. The present study utilized assessment information from treatment seeking youth with histories of sexual abuse to explore specific risk indicators for revictimization—risk taking, social problems, maladaptive cognitions, and posttraumatic stress—that may be indicated by self-reported distress. The relationship between initial levels of distress and change in symptoms over a 12-week course of treatment was also explored. Participants were 101 youth referred to a child-focused therapeutic group for victims of sexual abuse, 65 youth referred to an adolescent-focused …

Acquisition Of The Cardinal Principle Coincides With Improvement In Approximate Number System Acuity In Preschoolers, Anna Shusterman, Emily Slusser, Justin Halberda, Darko Odic

Faculty Publications

Human mathematical abilities comprise both learned, symbolic representations of number and unlearned, non-symbolic evolutionarily primitive cognitive systems for representing quantities. However, the mechanisms by which our symbolic (verbal) number system becomes integrated with the non-symbolic (non-verbal) representations of approximate magnitude (supported by the Approximate Number System, or ANS) are not well understood. To explore this connection, forty-six children participated in a 6-month longitudinal study assessing verbal number knowledge and non-verbal numerical acuity. Cross-sectional analyses revealed a strong relationship between verbal number knowledge and ANS acuity. Longitudinal analyses suggested that increases in ANS acuity were most strongly related to the acquisition …

Bicultural Competence And The Latino 2.5 Generation: The Acculturative Advantages And Challenges Of Having One Foreign-Born And One U.S.-Born Parent, Jessica M. Dennis, Ana Laura Fonseca, Guadalupe Gutierrez Ramirez, Jillian Shen, Sibella Salazar

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The 2.5 generation refers to individuals who have one parent born in the United States and one born in another country. The presence of both native-born and foreign-born parents has the potential to enhance bicultural adaptation. Across two studies with Latino young adults, we examine the extent to which the 2.5 generation is distinct from members of other generations with regard to cultural orientation, acculturative stress, and parent ethnic socialization. Results suggest that the 2.5-generation individuals report greater native cultural orientation, ethnic identity, and parental socialization compared with third-generation individuals, along with greater American orientation than first-generation individuals. The 2.5 …

Romantic Relationship Experiences From Late Adolescence To Young Adulthood: The Role Of Older Siblings In Mexican-Origin Families, Lorey A. Wheeler, Sarah E. Killoren, Shawn D. Whiteman, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Susan M. Mchale, Adriana J. Umana-Taylor

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Youth's experiences with romantic relationships during adolescence and young adulthood have far reaching implications for future relationships, health, and well-being; yet, although scholars have examined potential peer and parent influences, we know little about the role of siblings in youth's romantic relationships. Accordingly, this study examined the prospective longitudinal links between Mexican-origin older and younger siblings' romantic relationship experiences and variation by sibling structural and relationship characteristics (i.e., sibling age and gender similarity, younger siblings' modeling) and cultural values (i.e., younger siblings' familism values). Data from 246 Mexican-origin families with older (M = 20.65 years; SD = 1.57; 50% …

Family Influences On Mexican American Adolescents’ Romantic Relationships: Moderation By Gender And Culture, Fanita A. Tyrell, Lorey A. Wheeler, Nancy A. Gonzales, Larry Dumka, Roger Millsap

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

This study examined prospective associations between the family context and adolescents’ romantic relationships as moderated by adolescents’ gender and culture among Mexican American families (N = 189). Adolescents at Time 1 (early adolescence) were on average 12.29 years of age (SD = .50) and 54% female. Mothers and fathers reported on family structure and dynamics during early adolescence, and youth reported on their romantic relationship involvement and quality during middle and late adolescence. Results from path analyses indicated that family structure and dynamics (supportive parenting, consistent discipline, parent-adolescent, and interparental conflict) were associated with adolescents’ romantic involvement and …

Parents And Teachers’ Perceptions And Clinical Diagnosis Of Autism Among White And Non-White Groups, Margaret Gopaul

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

The pervasiveness of autism has significantly increased over the past 2 decades with the 2014 Center for Disease Control and Prevention report indicating 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Early intervention is recommended as the most effective treatment approach. Nevertheless, previous research has indicated that White children are diagnosed with ASD about 1.5 years earlier than are Non-White children. A current gap remains in literature regarding ASD and different racial groups, and evidence has been inconclusive regarding disparities in identifying and diagnosing ASD. To fill this gap, this study investigated the relationship between child race, …

The Secret Ingredient For Improving Infant/Child Mental Health: Teaching Parents To Play, Geraldine Healy Marini

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Disorders in mental health are the highest of all disorders and results in the most common form of disability. Since 2011, mental health disorders have increased at alarming rates. It is estimated that 9.5 to 14.2% of children between the ages of 0 to 5 years have and emotional or behavioral problem. The mental health of parents or caregivers can affect and impact the development of young children (Nelson & Mann, 2011, Zero to Three, 2004).

The over arching goal of this research is to explore issues of mental health within parent-child interactions. Coaching parents during the co-occupation of play …

Playing With Knives: The Socialization Of Self-Initiated Learners, David F. Lancy

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Since Margaret Mead’s field studies in the South Pacific a century ago, there has been the tacit understanding that as culture varies, so too must the socialization of children to become competent culture users and bearers. More recently, the work of anthropologists has been mined to find broader patterns that may be common to childhood across a range of societies. One improbable commonality has been the tolerance, even encouragement, of toddler behavior that is patently risky, such as playing with or attempting to use a sharp-edged tool. This laissez faire approach to socialization follows from a reliance on children as …