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Title: For Better or for Worse: Women, Men, Relationships, Quality of Life and Cancer
Creator: Gela, Natalie R.
Date: 2011-12-13, 2011-12
Description: Research has shown that cancer can have a detrimental impact on patients’ psychological and psychosocial functioning in addition to affecting...
Show moreResearch has shown that cancer can have a detrimental impact on patients’ psychological and psychosocial functioning in addition to affecting physical health. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a construct that captures patients’ adjustment in the realms of physical, psychological, social and functional well-being. Not only are patients impacted by a diagnosis of cancer, but it has been widely observed that the adjustment and overall well-being of patients’ families, and especially their spouses, can be impacted as well. Furthermore, links have been observed between patients’ and spouses’ mental and physical health during the experience of coping with cancer, suggesting that spouses may influence each others’ well-being. Given this evidence of cross-partner influence and the strong support for the impact of social support on well-being in the context of cancer, marital quality has been studied as a variable that could impact partnered individuals’ mental and physical health. The present study used a sample of newly-diagnosed cancer patients and their partners (N = 87 pairs) to examine the relationship between cancer patients’ self-reported HRQOL and their self-reported marital quality; as well as to examine the relationship between patients’ HRQOL and their partners’ reported marital quality. Gender was explored as a moderator of these relationships given that the available research is equivocal in regards to how gender influences adjustment to chronic illness, especially within dyads. Additionally, the relationship between patients’ and partners’ reports of marital quality was explored. Support was found for the proposed link between patients’ and spouses’ reports of marital quality and patient report of overall HRQOL, as well as between spouses’ reports of marital quality. Gender was found to moderate the association between patient HRQOL and marital quality; however, gender was not found to moderate the link between patient overall HRQOL and partner’s report of marital quality. These findings demonstrate the importance of the couple relationship to well-being within the context of couples coping with cancer. Implications surrounding the lack of unity in the conceptualization and operationalization of these constructs are discussed, as is the importance of controlling for the influences of gender and social role in future study designs.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2011
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Title: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURAL ORIENTATION AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY
Creator: Rafajko, Sean I.
Date: 2016, 2016-07
Description: Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) face a number of disparities in their daily lives. Many of these disparities are the result of...
Show moreIndividuals with intellectual disability (ID) face a number of disparities in their daily lives. Many of these disparities are the result of interactions with people in their environment, including the general public. The behaviors of the general public toward people with ID are linked to the attitudes that they hold. Thus, it is essential to understand what influences these attitudes. Although there has been some research conducted examining how factors such as demographics and level of contact with individuals with ID affect attitudes, there has been only very limited research specifically investigating the impact of cultural factors on attitudes toward individuals with ID. The purpose of this study was to examine the unique contribution of cultural orientation variables as predictors of individuals’ attitudes toward ID using hierarchical regression analyses. Results revealed that for all examined domains of attitudes, cultural orientation accounted for a significant portion of the variance in attitudes toward ID. More specifically, it was found that greater vertical-individualist orientation was associated with more negative attitude towards ID on all domains, while other cultural orientations (horizontal-collectivist, horizontal-individualist, and vertical-collectivist), when significant, were associated with more positive attitudes toward ID. Findings from this study suggest that culture is a relevant area to explore in future research on attitudes toward ID. Further research is needed to understand how these relationships play out especially for specific groups, such as caregivers and clinicians, in order to better understand how cultural orientation can more directly affect the lives of individuals with ID.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2016
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Title: FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH EMOTION REGULATION FLEXIBILITY
Creator: Murphy, Jonathan W.
Date: 2015, 2015-07
Description: Flexibly switching among emotion regulation strategies has been associated with healthy functioning. In studies with non-clinical samples,...
Show moreFlexibly switching among emotion regulation strategies has been associated with healthy functioning. In studies with non-clinical samples, people have been shown to flexibly choose between regulatory strategies when presented with negative stimuli of varying intensity levels. The present study used the emotion regulation choice task to investigate whether participant characteristics (depressive symptoms and difficulties in emotion regulation) were associated with differences in choice patterns and flexibility between two emotion regulation strategies. In order to compare groups, this study measured participants' sensitivity to negative stimuli by adding an image rating task before the choice procedure. Additionally, given the hierarchical structure of the data, this study utilized multi-level modeling analyses, which were more appropriate than analyses used in previous emotion regulation choice studies. The results show that participants with low and high levels of depressive symptoms have similar emotion regulation choice patterns and showed similar flexibility between strategies. On the other hand, particular difficulties in emotion regulation were associated with blunted emotion regulation flexibility. These findings suggest that particular difficulties in emotion regulation might better predict blunted emotion regulation flexibility between strategies than depressive symptoms. Finally, suggestions for future research in emotion regulation flexibility are provided.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2015
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Title: LONGITUDINAL MEASUREMENT EQUIVALENCE IN TRAINING EVALUATION: TESTING FOR ALPHA, BETA, AND GAMMA CHANGE IN SELF-EFFICACY
Creator: Wright, Sean Christopher
Date: 2013, 2013-12
Description: When evaluating a training program, it is common to make longitudinal comparisons between pre-training and post-training measures of one or...
Show moreWhen evaluating a training program, it is common to make longitudinal comparisons between pre-training and post-training measures of one or more learning outcomes. This study was conducted to demonstrate the need to investigate the type of change observed in a self-efficacy measure collected pre- and post-training using a military sample. Using a variation of CFA methods developed by Schmitt (1982), tests were conducted to determine whether pre-post differences in the measure were due to a true (i.e., alpha) change in the construct, or if trainees had recalibrated (i.e., beta change) or reconceptualized (i.e., gamma change) their use of the self-efficacy measures over time. In addition, the potential relationship between task difficulty and the type of observed change was investigated. Analyses found that gamma change did occur with regard to the covariance between the latent factors of self-efficacy, and partial beta change occurred with regard to the latent factor variance. Task difficulty subgroup analyses reflected a very similar result to the primary analysis suggesting that task difficulty has little or no effect on the type of change observed. Implications for training evaluation research are discussed, as well as study limitations and future research directions.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2013
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Title: THE IMPACT OF FAKING AND CURVILINEARITY ON THE ORGANIZATIONAL UTILITY OF PERSONALITY TESTS
Creator: Rusakiewicz, Sarah
Date: 2014, 2014-12
Description: The current study reports the findings from a Monte Carlo investigation examining the potential impact on the organizational utility of two...
Show moreThe current study reports the findings from a Monte Carlo investigation examining the potential impact on the organizational utility of two independent factors, socially desirable responding (faking) and a curvilinear relationship between personality and job performance, for organizations choosing to use personality tests in a selection setting. This study explores the impact of faking on the observed predictive validity (𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑟𝑥𝑦) and utility of the test, as well as the impact on the composition and job performance of the selected group (𝑧𝑠𝑒𝑙) when using non-faked scores as opposed to faked scores. In addition, this study hypothesizes a curvilinear relationship between personality and performance, and examines the impact of this non-linear relationship on 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑟𝑥𝑦, utility and 𝑧𝑠𝑒𝑙 . The study simulates several variables that are likely to differ across selection scenarios, including the true predictive validity of the test (𝑟𝑥𝑦 ), the correlation between faking and job performance (𝑟𝑧𝑦), selection ratio (𝑠𝑟), average tenure (T) and various levels of the standard deviation of performance in dollars (𝑆𝐷𝑦). Consistent with previous research, results show a relatively minor impact on 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑟𝑥𝑦 caused by faking, though more significant changes in utility and 𝑧𝑠𝑒𝑙 . This relationship is greatly impacted by the correlation between faking and performance (𝑟𝑧𝑦), where results show a detrimental impact on the outcome variables when this relationship is negative. However, when this relationship is positive, faking serves to augment the quality of selection systems. Results also indicate that a curvilinear relationship between personality and performance results in much more significant changes to 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑟𝑥𝑦, utility and the 𝑧𝑠𝑒𝑙 . Implications and directions for future research are also discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2014
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Title: BLAME, COPING, AND PYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN CAREGIVERS OF FAMILY MEMBERS WITH ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY
Creator: Dedios-stern, Samantha L.
Date: 2015, 2015-05
Description: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is associated with many physical and psychiatric conditions. Oftentimes, the individual’s family members are...
Show moreAcquired brain injury (ABI) is associated with many physical and psychiatric conditions. Oftentimes, the individual’s family members are responsible for providing long-term care, leaving caregivers vulnerable to negative effects of caregiving including stress, physical, and psychological problems. Attribution theory suggests that when individuals experience distress, they may generate causal explanations for their circumstances by attributing blame regarding why the event happened. Frequently, blame attributions involve identifying the problem as being within another person. The objective of this study was to investigate caregiver coping strategies as possible mediators between caregiver family member blame and caregiver psychosocial outcomes among caregivers of individuals with ABI. Caregivers of individuals with ABI (n = 94) completed a brief online survey of self-report measures regarding coping (emotion-focused, problemfocused, and dysfunctional strategies), blame (direct, indirect, and preoccupation with blame), depressive symptoms, and quality of life (QOL). Bootstrapping mediation analyses were then conducted to investigate the mediating role of caregiver coping strategy between blame attributions, and either depressive symptoms or QOL. Results demonstrated that the use of more dysfunctional coping strategies significantly mediated the relationship between indirectly blaming one’s family member for their injury and subsequent depressive symptoms and QOL. Furthermore, using more dysfunctional coping strategies also significantly mediated the relationship between preoccupation with blame and depressive symptoms. Implications for intervention and future research are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2015
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Title: THE EFFECT OF SURGICAL DECISION MAKING ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADOLESCENTS WITH CRANIOFACIAL CONDITIONS
Creator: Sokolowski Ruta, Caroline M.
Date: 2011-07, 2011-07
Description: Previous research concerning the delivery of medical services to adolescents, specifically the extent to which young people are involved in...
Show morePrevious research concerning the delivery of medical services to adolescents, specifically the extent to which young people are involved in the planning of their care, is lacking. This study investigated the importance of the decision-making process in adolescents with craniofacial conditions (CFCs) and whether their involvement in surgical decision-making has an effect on their perceived surgical outcome. Additionally, the study explored whether resilience factors such as positive self-concept, freedom from depression, coping abilities, and positive views of CFCs positively influence surgical outcome. Results demonstrated that coping abilities and positive views of CFCs predicted positive surgical outcome. Active participation in the decision-making process also predicted positive surgical outcome, though the effect size was trivial. Lastly, adolescent psychological health did not have an influence on surgical outcome. Limitations and areas for future research are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2011
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Title: DEVELOPMENT OF A CREATIVE WORK ANALYSIS
Creator: Neuman, Brendan George
Date: 2014, 2014-05
Description: Creativity researchers continue to debate whether the phenomenon of creativity is a uniform construct regardless of context, or if creativity...
Show moreCreativity researchers continue to debate whether the phenomenon of creativity is a uniform construct regardless of context, or if creativity differs characteristically across domains. The present research contributes to this debate by way of an analysis of creative work. It was hypothesized that a comprehensive analysis of creative work would reflect a four-factor structure that is often used to organize the creativity research literature. Additionally, differences in both the level and nature of creativity were expected to emerge from incumbent data across occupational domains. An eight-factor, rather than four-factor structure of creative work was observed. Incumbent ratings from seven distinct job families were different in nature but not level of creative work.
PH.D in Psychology, May 2014
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Title: DELUSIONAL IDEATION, MINDFULNESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN A COMMUNITY SAMPLE
Creator: Newmark, Lisa M.
Date: 2014, 2014-12
Description: The modern conceptualization of delusional ideation is that it is a multidimensional construct that lies on a continuum with normality. Higher...
Show moreThe modern conceptualization of delusional ideation is that it is a multidimensional construct that lies on a continuum with normality. Higher levels of delusional ideation have been associated with lower levels of quality of life. In contrast, higher levels of mindfulness have been related to higher levels of quality of life. This study examined the associations among delusional ideation, mindfulness, and quality of life in a community sample (N = 493). Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted to examine 1) the association between delusional ideation and mindfulness, 2) the association between .mindfulness and quality of life, and 3) whether the association between delusional ideation and quality of life was mediated by mindfulness. Results supported study hypotheses, indicating that delusional ideation was negatively associated with mindfulness and quality of life and that mindfulness was positively associated with quality of life. In addition, mindfulness mediated the relation between delusional ideation and quality of life. Findings have important implications for treatment and prevention efforts. Mindfulness may be an important goal for intervention in order to lessen the impact of delusional ideation in reducing quality of life.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2014
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Title: APPLYING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY MODEL TO EXAMINE PREDICTORS OF ENGAGEMENT AND SUCCESS IN A WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR VETERANS
Creator: Pieczynski, Jessica
Date: 2015, 2015-07
Description: Weight management success is contingent upon treatment utilization and engagement. Unfortunately, low enrollment, poor attendance, and high...
Show moreWeight management success is contingent upon treatment utilization and engagement. Unfortunately, low enrollment, poor attendance, and high attrition from weight management programs are major barriers for long-term weight loss. This study aimed to applying the psychological flexibility model to the problem of weight management engagement. The current study evaluated the hypotheses that lower experiential avoidance, the process of changing, suppressing, or avoiding unpleasant experiences in an effort to regulate behavior, and higher values congruence, behaving consistently with one’s values, predict treatment engagement and successful weight loss. Participants were 183 overweight and obese veterans (91.3% Male, 77.6% African American). Participants completed a demographics questionnaire, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire for Weight-Related Problems (AAQ-W) and the Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ). Analyses revealed that experiential avoidance significantly predicted probability of enrolling (OR=1.03, p<.01). Experiential avoidance and values congruence were not significantly related to attendance, and experiential avoidance approached significance for dropout (OR=6.54, p=.08). AAQ-W was related to baseline BMI (β=7.49, p<.001) and 3-month BMI trajectory (β= 0.54, p<.01) for enrollees, while experiential avoidance predicted 3-month weight change for nonenrollees (β =0.28, p<.05). The extant research on weight management suggests that much can be done to improve treatment outcomes. Increasing engagement is a major component of improving weight management success. The findings from this study suggest that targeting psychological flexibility can be a means to achieving this goal. Future weight management research should continue to explore this relationship.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2015
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Title: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND SUBORDINATE STRESS: THE ROLE OF LEADER-SUBORDINATE DYAD GENDER COMPOSITION
Creator: Pinkus-huizenga, Elizabeth A.
Date: 2015, 2015-07
Description: This study was about the relations between transfonnationalleaders, job stressors, and gender dyad composition to indicate potential...
Show moreThis study was about the relations between transfonnationalleaders, job stressors, and gender dyad composition to indicate potential situations and pairings that will increase and decrease subordinate job stress. One hundred and sixteen leader and subordinate dyads from industrial and educational organizations responded to surveys. Leaders provided self-report on a transfonnationalleadership scale and subordinates reported their stress with leader, tasks, and job. Correlations and general linear models were used to test the study's hypotheses. Results showed that employees in industrial organizations compared to educational organizations experienced more stress with their leader. Additionally, the stress with leader and stress with task were highly, positively significant. Unfortunately, the hypotheses were not supported. Key Words: transfonnationalleadership; transfonnationalleader; gender dyad composition; job stress; subordinate stress; role conflict; role ambiguity; role overload
M.S. in Psychology, July 2015
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Title: APPLICATION OF THE FEAR-AVOIDANCE MODEL OF CHRONIC PAIN TO UNDERSTAND NEUROCOGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT AND DEPRESSION IN ADULTS WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE
Creator: Piper, Lauren E.
Date: 2017, 2017-07
Description: Acute and chronic pain in sickle cell disease (SCD) are associated with functional impairment and depressive symptoms. Given the suboptimal...
Show moreAcute and chronic pain in sickle cell disease (SCD) are associated with functional impairment and depressive symptoms. Given the suboptimal management of pain in SCD and serious health risks associated with current treatment methods for pain, there is a need to identify factors associated with pain that impact functional outcomes and depression. The fear-avoidance (FA) model of chronic pain has been examined in other chronic pain populations as a means to understand how pain-related cognitive and behavioral factors contribute to functional impairment and depression, but has not been applied in individuals with SCD. The purpose of the present study was to apply the FA model of chronic pain to adults with SCD via mediation analyses. Additionally, mental flexibility was examined as a possible moderator in the FA model. Results demonstrated that pain catastrophizing mediated the relationship between pain severity and pain-related fear. No other mediators within the model were identified. Additionally, results did not demonstrate that mental flexibility moderated the relationship between pain severity and pain catastrophizing. Post-hoc exploratory analyses demonstrated that pain catastrophizing and pain-related fear significantly predicted functional impairment and depression, respectively, above and beyond pain severity. Overall, results suggest that the FA model of chronic pain does not apply to individuals with SCD and the predictive roles that pain catastrophizing and pain-related fear play in functional impairment and depression are not consistent with results in other chronic pain populations. Further studies are needed to identify factors that explain the relationship between pain, functional impairment, and depression so that these factors may be targeted for intervention as a means to improve pain, mood, and functional independence.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2017
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Title: EFFECT OF FIDELITY ON COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES
Creator: Siskind, Ariel David
Date: 2012-10-09, 2012-12
Description: Simulation fidelity refers to the level of realism with which the simulation is presented, as well as the method in which applicants can...
Show moreSimulation fidelity refers to the level of realism with which the simulation is presented, as well as the method in which applicants can respond. Work simulations have been shown in previous literature to be beneficial selection tools. However, the research is less concrete with regard to the effects of various levels of fidelity (specifically, high fidelity virtual environments) on important organizational outcomes. In the current study, a model of fidelity is presented and 322 participants completed one of four simulation conditions (high fidelity, low fidelity/no branching, low fidelity/branching, zero fidelity). Face validity, applicant reaction, presence/immersion/engagement, predictive validity, and reliability were measured as outcomes of interest from the model. The findings indicated that the high fidelity condition and the low fidelity conditions had increased fidelity, fairness, face validity, and presence/immersion/ engagement compared to the zero fidelity condition. However, the addition of branching to the low fidelity simulation did not impact the hypotheses in the expected direction. The hypothesis regarding predictive validity was not supported, and the hypothesis regarding reliability was partially supported. Implications of the findings, limitations, and recommendations for future research are presented.
PH.D in Psychology, December 2012
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Title: THE VETERAN/MILITARY COUPLE RELATIONSHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: THE ROLE OF RELATIONSHIP-FOCUSED COPING AND CONGRUENCY/DISCREPANCY OF COPING
Creator: Gela, Natalie R.
Date: 2016, 2016-07
Description: Intimate relationship functioning is an area of great concern for Veterans and military personnel coping with clinically significant...
Show moreIntimate relationship functioning is an area of great concern for Veterans and military personnel coping with clinically significant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as for their significant others. Research findings based on couples affected by chronic physical illnesses indicate that specific relationship-focused coping strategies (active engagement, protective buffering, and overprotection) are linked to dyadic adjustment and individual well-being, yet this type of interpersonal coping has not been investigated in the context of Veteran/military samples affected by PTSD. The present study used a sample of Veterans diagnosed with PTSD and their significant others (N = 71 pairs) to examine associations between: (a) relationship-focused coping and dyadic adjustment; (b) relationship-focused coping and PTSD symptom severity; and (c) relationship-focused coping and significant other emotional distress. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models revealed significant associations between relationship-focused coping strategies and dyadic adjustment in the predicted directions. Furthermore, protective buffering and overprotection were positively associated with, and active engagement was negatively associated with, Veteran PTSD symptom severity and significant other emotional distress. Congruency/discrepancy of couple members’ relationship-focused coping was also examined in order to investigate whether or not patterns of coping within a couple impact dyadic adjustment in the context of PTSD, and these findings were not significant. Overall, findings from the present study demonstrate the importance of interpersonal coping processes within the context of military Veterans diagnosed with PTSD and their significant others. The implications of these findings in regards to current theoretical models of PTSD and relationship functioning are discussed. Implications for clinical interventions aimed at treating Veterans diagnosed with PTSD and/or couples coping with a Veteran’s PTSD diagnosis are also discussed.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2016
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Title: RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION: A FOCUS ON PERINATAL ANXIETY
Creator: Getch, Sarah
Date: 2011-12, 2011-12
Description: Our objective was to expand previous research examining the course of anxiety and the comorbidity of anxiety and depression during pregnancy...
Show moreOur objective was to expand previous research examining the course of anxiety and the comorbidity of anxiety and depression during pregnancy and postpartum. The sample comprised 80 pregnant female participants varying in age, ethnicity, and primary diagnosis recruited through the Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology at NMFF and PAC during routine obstetric visits or by advertisements placed on the internet via the website Craigslist. Clinical data were collected once during the second or third trimester of pregnancy and once at 6 weeks postpartum. Participants were asked to complete the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), the Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9), the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the Zung Self-report Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Social Support Questionnaire - Short Form (SSQ-SF), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Results indicated that prenatal anxiety partially mediated the relationship between prenatal depression and postpartum depression. Additionally, prenatal anxiety fully mediated the relationship between prenatal social support and postpartum depression as well as the relationship between prenatal stress and postpartum depression.
Ph.D. in Psychology, December 2011
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Title: EVALUATION OF A MODIFIED ITEM PARAMETER REPLICATION METHOD FOR DIFFERENTIAL FUNCTIONING OF ITEMS AND TESTS ANALYSIS WITH UNEQUAL SAMPLE SIZES
Creator: Blitz, David L.
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: In 1995, Raju, van der Linden, and Fleer introduced the Differential Functioning of Items and Tests (DFIT) framework. However, some concerns...
Show moreIn 1995, Raju, van der Linden, and Fleer introduced the Differential Functioning of Items and Tests (DFIT) framework. However, some concerns have been raised regarding the accuracy of DFIT (e.g., Meade & Lautenschlager, 2004, 2005). More recently, it was suggested that large differences in sample sizes might affect the sampling variance of the NCDIF statistic (e.g., Raju et al., 2009). The purpose of this study was to confirm if differing subgroup sample sizes affect the accuracy of the NCDIF statistic and to propose and evaluate a modification to solve this problem. Monte Carlo results indicated that the old method generally maintained fairly stable power, but tended to be overly conservative when the focal group was smaller than the reference group and exhibit inflated Type I error when the focal group was larger than the reference group. The new method generally maintained reasonable Type I error regardless of subgroup sample size and demonstrated comparable or better power except for conditions where the old method exhibited inflated Type I error rates. When impact was present Type I error rates were slightly higher and power was slightly lower but results otherwise conformed to the general pattern.
Ph.D. in Psychology, May 2016
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Title: CONGRUENCE OF PROTEGE'S GENDER-ROLE AND MENTOR'S PERCEIVED GENDER-ROLE ON PROTEGE ENGAGEMENT AND MENTORING EFFECTIVENESS
Creator: Savage, Catherine M.
Date: 2013-04-22, 2013-05
Description: Higher education institutions, particularly those who specialize in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), are experiencing...
Show moreHigher education institutions, particularly those who specialize in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), are experiencing high turnover rates among their students. In work settings, mentors have been instrumental in the engagement and retention of employees. Therefore, we examined mentoring effectiveness and its utilization to help increase student retention and engagement for 118 students in a university in the Midwest. Also, we examined how perceived similarity between the protégé and mentor on surface- and deep-level characteristics (e.g., gender and gender role orienation) can influence both the perceived effectiveness of the mentoring relationship, as well as the protégé’s level of engagement. The results from this research found that surface-level variables, such as sociodemographic gender, were not related to the mentoring relationship or a student’s level of engagement. However, perceived similarity between the mentor and protégés on masculinity and femininity increased the protégés perceived effectiveness of the mentoring relationship. Further, perceived similarity and dissimilarity on protégé and mentor femininity increased levels of student engagement. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2013
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Title: BODY DISSATISFACTION, CORRELATES OF BODY IMAGE DISTURBANCE, AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE IDEAL FEMALE BODY SHAPE
Creator: Westercamp, Kindra L.
Date: 2012-07-16, 2012-07
Description: Body image concern is not a foreign experience among men; the literature indicates that men, like women, experience negative thoughts about...
Show moreBody image concern is not a foreign experience among men; the literature indicates that men, like women, experience negative thoughts about their body. It continues to be accepted that women experience greater body dissatisfaction than do men; however, based on prior research, this conclusion may be inaccurate. The primary aim of the present study was to examine whether the discrepancy between current body size and ideal body size differed by sex; the examination was conducted with the overall sample and then with only those men and women who preferred a slimmer physique. Self-esteem, internalization of the cultural-ideal, and body acceptance were examined in relation to weight concern, overall body dissatisfaction in women, muscularity dissatisfaction in men, and the body size discrepancy estimate. An additional purpose of the present study was the investigation of a potential consequence among women of misperceiving the body preferences of men. Also explored was whether the body size discrepancy, derived from a figural measure, is a valid measure of body dissatisfaction. Participants were 248 men and women college students who completed 10 self-report questionnaires and engaged in the Body Morph Assessment Program Version 2.0 (BMA 2.0), a computerized body image assessment procedure. Results indicated that the average body size discrepancy was greater for women in the overall sample; yet, in the restricted sample no sex difference was observed. In comparison to self-esteem and internalization of the cultural-ideal, body acceptance was found to be most consistently related to the aforementioned constructs. Also found was that the more slender a female figure women regarded as being most attractive to men the more they engaged in disordered eating. Results of the present study suggested that the discrepancy estimate likely measures a construct that is different than that measured by an evaluative measure of overall body dissatisfaction or weight concern.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2012
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Title: CHILD AND PARENT PSYCHOPATHOLOGY: COMBINATIONS RELATED TO THERAPY ATTENDANCE AND PROGRESS
Creator: Giannone, Carolyn D.
Date: 2012-04-30, 2012-05
Description: Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are among the most common and challenging diagnoses in children. It is well documented that family...
Show moreDisruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are among the most common and challenging diagnoses in children. It is well documented that family therapy services can provide effective treatment for DBDs, but therapy dropout rates are high. This leaves many children untreated, particularly in urban settings. Literature supports relationships between several variables and premature termination of therapy services, including child gender, child psychopathology, parent psychopathology, and perceived barriers to treatment participation. The current study aimed explore if combinations of parent and child psychopathology and their relationship related to therapy completion. Multiple imputation was utilized due to the presence of several missing data points. Results indicated that combinations did not significantly predict therapy completion. Implications of the research, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, May 2012
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Title: AUTOMATICALLY GENERATING BIG FIVE PERSONALITY ITEMS: FEASIBILITY, RELIABILITY, AND VALIDITY
Creator: Carter, Cassia K.
Date: 2012-12-04, 2012-12
Description: N/A
M.S. in Psychology, December 2012

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