ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
Displaying 31 - 36 of 36
Description
The present study examined whether a history of childhood sexual abuse would be related to attachment to mother, to father, and to friends, mattering to parents and to friends, and coping behaviors. In addition, whether use of force, duration of abuse, and severity of abuse were related to perceived negative impact of childhood sexual abuse was examined. Gender differences among survivors were also investigated. Specifically, from the initial sample of 258 young adults, 186 who met the age requirement were included in the tests of the hypotheses. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 25. Compared to those with no history of childhood sexual abuse (n = 109), survivors (n = 77) reported lower attachment to father and less mattering to parents. There were no differences in attachment and mattering to friends or in emotion-focused and problem-focused coping. When gender differences were examined among survivors, females reported greater use of problem-focused coping and perceiving their childhood sexual abuse experiences as more negative than did the male survivors. There were no differences among male and female survivors of childhood sexual abuse on emotion-focused coping. Force and severity, but not duration, were linked to more negative perceptions of the childhood sexual abuse. Attachment to mother emerged as a key variable in that attachment to mother was positively related to attachment to friends, mattering to friends, and the use of problem-focused coping. Stronger attachment to mother and attachment to father, but not a history of childhood sexual abuse, were related to more perceived mattering to parents. These results highlight the importance of attachment to caregivers in developing peer attachment and a sense of mattering to friends, problem-focused coping skills, and perceiving childhood sexual abuse as having a less negative impact on their lives. Clinical and research implications and suggestions for future directions are discussed.
ContributorsStaley, Sarah Katheryn (Author) / Robinson Kurpius, Sharon E (Thesis advisor) / Cabianca, William A (Committee member) / Homer, Judith (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether five select scales of the MMPI-A (F, Scale 2, A-dep, A-lse, and A-aln) are predictive of a diagnosis of a major depressive episode according to the current DSM-IV-TR criteria. Participants were 90 girls and 58 boys in a clinical psychiatric setting. The study examined two separate hypotheses across the five scales. The first set of hypotheses tested whether a significant T-score on each of the five scales would predict a diagnosis of a major depressive episode in clinical adolescents. The second set of hypotheses attempted to step away from the constraints of diagnostic and statistical cut-off criteria and evaluated the ability of discrete T-scores of the MMPI-A in predicting the number of symptoms of a major depressive episode in clinical adolescents. Results indicated that none of the five scales were predictive of a diagnosis of a major depressive disorder in clinical adolescents. All but one scale (Scale 2) was significant in its ability to predict the number of depressive symptoms in clinical adolescents. Implications of this study include the need for a better diagnostic criteria for adolescent depression as well as re-evaluating the cut-off criteria of scales on the MMPI-A. Directions for future research are also discussed.
ContributorsPham, Tuyen T (Author) / Claiborn, Charles D. (Thesis advisor) / Homer, Judith (Committee member) / Gerkin, Richard D. (Committee member) / Fair, Christine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
Descriptions of gray divorce often include consequences for young adult children who are increasingly being left to cope with their parents’ decision. Adult children of divorce may experience different stressors and reactions than younger children especially during holidays; moreover, their increased social awareness leaves their parental relationship vulnerable to rupture as a result of pressure to choose sides. Interventions for helping young adults cope with their parents’ break-up are rarely described, much less evaluated. An online delivery format would be especially well-suited given the possibility of in-home participation at any time of day with privacy assured and negligible cost. We thus developed and experimentally evaluated Transitions, a two week internet-based program organized around a classic stress inoculation framework. The goals of Transitions are to foster stress-coping skills and to improve parent-child relationships throughout the divorce process. Our study was restricted to young adult college students (N = 95) who had experienced parental separation or divorce within the past year, and who were not receiving psychological services elsewhere. Participants were screened and randomly assigned to experimental and delayed-treatment control conditions; a priori analyses indicated sufficient power to detect large effects. During the first week of Transitions, participants received psychoeducation, training in progressive muscle relaxation, and a cognitive restructuring curriculum derived from Ellis and Beck. The second week began with a review and then introduced mindfulness meditation and communication skills. Practice sessions were embedded throughout the curriculum and simulations were specific to experiences of parental divorce. Videos of young college graduates sharing personal stories about their parents’ divorce were streamed between each module. Comprehension of the content presented in Transitions was monitored and coded for partial or full completion of the program. Outcome measures were keyed to the nature of the clinical problem and interventions deployed. A repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (RM-MANOVA) yielded a significant interaction. Univariate follow-up ANOVAs showed significant improvement relative to controls on stress but not on relationship variables. Neither moderator nor intent-to-treat analyses altered this outcome pattern. Future research will focus on refining the stress reduction components of Transitions and improving its impact on relationships with parents.
ContributorsShanholtz, Caroline (Author) / Horan, John J (Thesis advisor) / Randall, Ashley K. (Thesis advisor) / Homer, Judith (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Sociopolitical involvement has been previously shown to be associated with experiences of discrimination. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) racial/ethnic minorities have faced multiple levels of discrimination from the mainstream community, racial/ethnic minority communities, and LGB communities. However, not many studies have investigated the association between intersectional forms of discrimination and sociopolitical involvement. The present study examines differences in perceptions of racism in the LGB community, sociopolitical involvement in racial/ethnic communities, and sociopolitical involvement in LGB communities among LGB racial/ethnic minorities (N = 203, MAge = 27.25). The sample included 107 (52.7%) men and 96 (47.3%) women; 41 (20.2%) lesbians, 89 (43.8%) gay men, and 73 (36.0%) bisexuals; 47 (23.2%) African Americans, 50 (24.6%) Asian Americans, 64 (31.5%) Latinos/as, and 42 (20.7%) from another race/ethnicity or mixed race. This study also looks at the association between perceptions of racism in the LGB community and sociopolitical involvement in racial/ethnic communities and/or LGB communities. Asian American participants reported perceiving higher levels of racism in the LGB community than Latino/a participants. No other differences in perceptions of racism in the LGB community were found between sexual orientation or by racial/ethnic group. No differences between racial/ethnic group or sexual orientations were found in sociopolitical involvement in racial/ethnic or LGB communities. When controlling for sexual orientation, gender, and race/ethnicity, perceptions of racism in the LGB community predicted sociopolitical involvement in racial/ethnic and LGB communities. By exploring correlates of discrimination from an intersectional perspective, this study provides a better understanding of the experiences of LGB racial/ethnic minorities.
ContributorsVanDaalen, Rachel (Author) / Santos, Carlos (Thesis advisor) / Homer, Judith (Committee member) / Tracey, Terence (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Employing ethnographic content analysis of 110 top Hip-Hop songs of 2004-2014 from Billboard and BET awards, this study investigated the most popular value themes of 4th generation Hip-Hop music and compared the messages of female and male rap artists. The 12 most frequently referenced messages included: 1) Celebration of Personal Success (77%), 2) Urban Consciousness, Identity, and Pride (68.8%), 3) Sexual Prowess/Seductive Power (62.1%), 4) Recreational Drug Use (54.9%), 5) Ready and Willing to Become Violent (48.8%), 6) Sexual Objectification (48.2%), 7) Reappropriation of Stigma Labels (36.4%), 8) Drive and Ambition (28.5%), 9) Self-Objectification (28.5%), 10) Struggle and Resilience (20%), 11) Providing Resources in Exchange for Sex (15.1%), and 12) Providing Sex in Exchange for Resources (10.3%). Male and female rap artists expressed similar messages. However, female rap artists were more likely to reappropriate stigma labels, promote self-objectifying lyrics, and depict themselves as providing sex in exchange for resources in their lyrics than were male rap artists. Male rap artists were more likely to sexually objectify others in their lyrics and depict themselves as providing resources in exchange for sex than were their female counterparts. Implications for counseling and suggestions for future research are discussed.
ContributorsMartinez-Morales, Vanessa (Author) / Kinnier, Richard (Thesis advisor) / Kurpius, Sharon (Committee member) / Homer, Judith (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Mindfulness is a concept derived from the Buddhist discourses of the Satipattana. Interventions that draw on mindfulness have been shown to reduce psychologically distressing symptoms in clinical settings. It has become widely used as a therapeutic technique in counseling, so it is important to develop an instrument measuring mindfulness-related constructs. This study presents a new instrument measuring the importance of mindfulness-related constructs. Results from an exploratory factor analysis revealed a clear two-factor structure, with the factors named "Present Moment Awareness", and "Compassion and Ethical Behavior." These items were positively correlated with each other and, as expected, negatively correlated with depression. Finally, hours of meditation moderated this association such that the association was stronger among participants who reported higher levels of meditation practice.
ContributorsMeer, David (Author) / Santos, Carlos (Thesis advisor) / Homer, Judith (Committee member) / Kemer, Gulsah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014