Developmental Psychology Commons^™

Exploring The Lived Experience Of Self-Care In Young Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Holly Berry-Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction

The prevalence of prediabetes in adults aged 18 or older was as high as 38% between 2017-2020. Youth-onset T2DM is a more aggressive phenotype than T2DM that occurs later in life. Young adults with T2DM have poorer health outcomes, lose an average of 15 years of life, all resulting in significant economic burden impacting the person. Current self-management interventions do not improve health outcomes in young adults with T2DM.

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to explore the self-care experiences of young adults living with T2DM.

Methods

Existential hermeneutic phenomenology informed the research. Inclusion criteria as follows: adults …

Examining A Relationship Between Sexual Satisfaction And Child Maltreatment, Amanda Titone

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Child maltreatment is prevalent despite extensive research informing interventions. While many risk factors have been identified, exploring additional determinants may improve existing methods or reveal better alternatives. This study’s basis was family systems theory, and it utilized the post-positivist paradigm to explore the topics of relationship fulfillment, sexual satisfaction, and parenting. Qualitative interviews with five heterosexual, cisgender parents born between 1971 and 1991 (average age 39-40) revealed four main themes: participants' childhood/parental relationships, history of abusive relationships, current sex life, and role balancing between relationships and parenting. Although limited by a small sample size and a specialized population (social work …

The Role Of Social Support And Emotional Regulation In Relationship With Adverse Childhood Experiences And Food Addiction, Negin Ghaffari

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic experiences that occur before the age of 18 and can have long-standing impacts on mental and physical health. Individuals with high exposure to ACEs may be at increased risk for depression, substance use disorders, and cardiovascular disease (Hughes et al., 2017). Social support has been shown to play an essential role in reducing the likelihood of adverse outcomes, such as substance dependence following exposure to adverse experiences. Furthermore, emotional regulation difficulties have been shown to mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and food addiction. There has been little research on adverse events in …

Preliminary Evidence For The Validity And Reliability Of A Modified Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces) Scale: The Variability In Aces Scale, Mary Jo Hedrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research has proliferated in the last twenty years with significant research demonstrating the detrimental effects of early childhood adversity. While many measures purport to measure ACEs, very few capture the intensity of ACEs while still calculating the traditional “ACEs tally.” Thus, it is the goal of this dissertation to collect evidence for an expanded ACES measure. The Variability in Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (VACE) measure builds upon the original ACEs and captures interval level data. Two survey-based studies were conducted in which convergent and criterion related validity and test-retest reliability evidence were collected. In …

Effects Of Emotional Intelligence And Social Support On The Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment And Disordered Eating, Rachel Kilby

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Current research has established a connection between childhood maltreatment and eating disorders, and some studies have looked at emotional intelligence or social support as mediators. However, little research has looked at how emotional intelligence and social support work together in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and eating disorders. This study looked at how emotional intelligence and social support act as mediators in this relationship. Undergraduate students (N=134) were administered the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-90), Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Correlations between scales were …

The Relationship Between Role Models, Socioeconomic Mobility Beliefs, And Academic Outcomes, Christian Koeu, Marisol Espinoza Garcia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Objective: This study aims to provide insights into the relationships between role models, socioeconomic mobility beliefs and the education outcomes of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. While previous studies highlight the positive influence of role models on academic and career aspirations, the specific relationship between role models and socioeconomic beliefs remains unexplored. Our study addresses this gap by examining whether the presence of role models relates with more optimistic socioeconomic beliefs and how these beliefs, in turn, affect academic outcomes (academic engagement, academic intentions, and grade point average [GPA]). Additionally, we investigate the influence of role model characteristics to …

Examining The Effects Of Acute And Chronic Stress On The Interrogative Suggestibility Of Young Adults, Claudia Cota

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

High-stress situations, like police interrogations, can hinder an individual's decision-making and critical-thinking ability (Liston et al., 2009), making them more susceptible to suggestive or leading messages during questioning. While research on suggestibility mainly focuses on children and adolescents, young adults may also be vulnerable to suggestion because of their sensitivity to social feedback (Blakemore & Mills, 2014; Redlich & Goodman, 2003). Since the legal consequences of suggestibility for young adults are more severe than for children or adolescents, it is essential to examine the role of stress in young adults' suggestibility. The present study used objective and subjective methods to …

Service Use Among Maltreated Children With Behavior Problems And Emotional Disturbance Before And During Covid-19, Darja Beinenson

All Theses

This study utilizes two datasets obtained from the National Child Abuse and Neglect

Data System, a federally-sponsored initiative to monitor annual rates and characteristics of child maltreatment in the United States. Using a set of multinomial and negative binomial regressions, the paper seeks to examine service use among maltreated children with and without behavioral problems and emotional disturbance. The study also explores whether the service utilization gap widened among children with those conditions in 2021, during the pandemic, compared to 2018, pre-pandemic. Results demonstrated significant differences in the utilization of services among children with behavioral problems and emotional disturbance compared …

Age, Gender, And Sexual Orientation And Their Effects On Online Dating Motivations, Jenna Leigh Mcpherson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Online dating and dating apps are becoming more common as a means to meet a romantic or sexual partner (e.g. Rosenfeld, Thomas, & Hausen, 2019). Previous literature on the motivations for why people use dating apps and how they differ among participants of varying age, gender, and sexual orientation has not allowed for comparisons across these groups, or shows conflicting findings. In order to consolidate existing literature and further explore the topic, I conducted both a meta-analysis and meta-synthesis. The meta-analysis demonstrated a gender difference in the motivation of casual sex, such that men scored higher than women. The meta-synthesis …

Exploring Resilience Factors And Positive Development In Single-Parent Households, Valerie Gomez

Undergraduate Papers

Single-parent households are often viewed as a risky family context associated with children’s negative outcomes such as social difficulties, psychopathology, and lower academic performance. While single-parent households are becoming more common, particularly in the United States, not all children who grow up in single-parent households go on to develop negative outcomes. Prior studies have not clearly outlined whether there are child or family-level factors that are associated with positive outcomes in the context of single-parent households. This honors thesis explored whether chores, which may support children’s persistence and autonomy, are more common in single-parent households and whether they predict positive …

Suicidal Ideation In Malaysian Young Adults: The Role Of Depressive Symptoms And Perceived Problem-Solving Ability, Shin Ling Wu, Yong Chy Sin

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: The escalating suicide rates among young adults, including those in Malaysia, necessitate a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to suicidal ideation. This study investigates the relationship between depressive symptoms and perceived problem-solving ability, including problem-solving confidence, approach-avoidance style, personal control of emotion, and suicidal ideation among Malaysian young adults.

Methods: A total of 231 Malaysian young adults aged 18 to 25 years (Mean = 21.1; SD = 1.38) participated in a cross-sectional survey study. The sample was primarily composed of participants of Chinese ethnicity. Using an online survey, participants completed measures including the Depression, Anxiety, and …

Communication Of Mental Health Diversity To The Early Childhood Age Group: “The Adventures Of Anxious Anderson, Distracted Daniel, And Organized Olive”, Jessica Gower

Honors Projects

In this project, I aim to explore various aspects of communication, cognitive ability, and mental health diversity in early child development. The three research questions guiding this project are: What cognitive and language abilities do children in the early childhood stage of development have? What are the most effective strategies for communicating information about mental health disorders to children ages 4 to 7 through storytelling? And lastly, how do anxiety, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) manifest, particularly in children? The storybook's purpose is to create a sense of empathy and understanding of mental health diversity in children …

The Anatomical Embodiment Of Morning Routines In The Reduction Of Anxiety: An Intervention, Natalie Wright

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The topic under investigation is whether physically embodying a morning routine that was designed through the lens of Laban Bartenieff Movement Analysis (LBMA) will reduce daily symptoms of individuals diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Since morning routines play a significant part in one’s preparation for the day, I created an individualized LBMA morning routine for a specific client to embody. In addition to the routine, the client documented the process of their anxiety levels on a weekly basis. This client was a white, female, 19-year-old, lesbian college student who was previously diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The movement analysis …

Exploring Parent/Caregiver Perspectives Of Self-Determination And Its Impact On Mental Health In Adolescents With And Without Disabilities, Jessica Schuttler, Sydney Walls, Tyler Hicks, Karrie Shogren, Hannah Adams, Richard A Chapman

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Introduction. Parents and caregivers play key roles in supporting the development of self-determination and mental health needs in adolescents with and without disabilities. This study explored parent/caregiver perceptions of the relationships among mental health and self-determination constructs for youth with disabilities, across gender and disability status. Method. Parents/caregivers of adolescents with and without disabilities completed rating scales regarding adolescents’ self-determination status (Self Determination Inventory) and mental health symptoms (Behavior Assessment System for Children, 3^rd Edition). Bayesian analyses examined the relationships among self-determination and mental health status. Results. Results are mixed, indicating moderate to robust relationships for self-determination as a …

Making Deception Fun: Teaching Autistic Individuals How To Playfriendly Tricks, Adel Naj, Megan St. Clair, Kacie Massoudie, Jonathan Tarbox, Lauri Simchoni, Marianne Jackson, Angela Persicke

Psychology Division Scholarship

Perspective taking is a critical repertoire for navigating social relationships and consists of a variety of complex verbalskills, including socially adaptive forms of deception. Detecting and being able to use socially adaptive deception likelyhas many practical uses, including defending oneself against bullying, telling white lies to avoid hurting others’ feelings,keeping secrets and bluffing during games, and playing friendly tricks on others. Previous research has documented thatsome Autistic1 children have challenges identifying deception and playfully deceiving others (Reinecke et al., 1997). Thecurrent study employed a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the use of multiple exemplar training, rules,modeling, practice, and …

Adolescent Marijuana Use And The Contribution To The Development Of Schizophrenia, Jocelyn Spandikow

Psychology Student Papers and Posters

Schizophrenia is an often debilitating mental condition that has become a popular topic of psychological research in recent years. Current research examines the correlation between drug use, genetics, and environment on the development of schizophrenia. Research looks at the structure of the brain in individuals with and without schizophrenia. However, research has failed to look at the specific correlation between marijuana use in adolescent youth and the developmental impact on the brain, including in the development of schizophrenia. The legalization of many recreational drugs, including marijuana, has come to fruition in recent years. This has raised concerns over adolescent access …

Comparing Activity Levels Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) During Snorkels To A Swimming Researcher, Sabrina Drouin, Erika Aguirre, Charles Lares

Posters - 2024

Bottlenose dolphins under professional care are provided with a range of enrichments that have a variety of features and levels of complexity at various frequencies (Lauderdale et al., 2022). In a previous study conducted by Brensing et al. (2015), they found that dolphins seemed to be attracted to adult swimmers, but only if they had ample space to swim. The purpose of this study is to examine dolphin activity level under two different conditions with humans in the water. We hypothesize that dolphin activity level will be higher during snorkel sessions than a single swimming researcher because there are more …

Investigating The Relationship Between Preferred Learning Styles And Individual Characteristics, Carla Canales, Makalah Macias, Helena S. Svilberg

Posters - 2024

An individual’s ability to learn is important especially for thriving in a learning environment. Many people have a false understanding of learning styles. Individuals are influenced by many different factors on an everyday basis. While there are many limitations that influence an individual’s learning style, this study was conducted to investigate academic demographics and learning styles. A comparison was made between an individual’s prior education, age, gender, and course history with the Barsch Learning Style Inventory score. A survey was used to snowball to different participants around the St. Mary’s University campus and other campuses. The survey collected demographic questions, …

Engaging In Art To Support Social-Emotional Learning (Eassel): A Classroom-Based Approach, Hailey Mcafee-Scimone

PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Dissertations (New England)

This dissertation describes a project to develop an art-based curriculum to teach young elementary school-age children social and emotional skills in the classroom based on the experiences of experts in the field of elementary education. Social-emotional learning (SEL) focuses on several key concepts including skills in interpersonal relationships, emotion regulation, and mindfulness (McClelland et al., 2017). By addressing SEL early within the education curriculum, children are exposed to resources that will help them to develop strong regulation skills, engage in identity exploration, and practice healthy relationship skills (Jones et al., 2017). The integration of SEL and art creates a learning …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Development Of Social Anxiety In Young Autistic Children, Gillian K. Marshall

Senior Theses

Social anxiety is a prevalent anxiety disorder marked by fear and discomfort in social situations where scrutiny or evaluation by others is anticipated. This thesis investigates the interplay between social anxiety and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social and communication challenges. Individuals with ASD often face heightened levels of anxiety, intensifying their social difficulties and impeding their social development. Early identification of social anxiety symptoms, particularly in ASD children, is crucial for timely intervention and improved outcomes. However, diagnosing social anxiety in preschool-aged children, especially those with ASD, presents challenges due to the complexity of symptoms …