Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Social Support
Description
Spousal loss is a common, significant life event that can negatively affect multiple facets of individual health and psychological adjustment. Social support is one factor that is shown to improve adjustment following spousal loss, but much less is known regarding which facet of social support is most predictive of positive adjustment outcomes following spousal loss. This study examined the course of changes in mental health and well-being following spousal loss and which facets of social support are associated with better outcomes following spousal loss. Latent growth curve modeling was applied to data from 265 widowed individuals, ages 65 and older, across four assessments (baseline, and 6-, 18-, and 48- months following spousal loss). I examined the following research questions: (1) adjustment following spousal loss will follow a trajectory of an increase in depressive symptoms and anxiety and decrease in well-being with a leveling-off over time, with between-person differences, and (2) emotional support and instrumental support given will lead to more positive adjustment outcomes over time. Depressive symptoms followed the hypothesized trajectory but anxiety and well-being showed relative stability before and after spousal loss. Instrumental support was the most beneficial facet of social support, such that receiving more instrumental support was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety 6-months following spousal loss. Giving more instrumental support led to an increase in well-being following spousal loss. Instrumental support given and received led to increases in well-being as a function of spousal loss. The discussion focuses on whether and how these findings can help to identify ways through which support and help can be given to individuals to improve adjustment to spousal loss and fully recover.
ContributorsSullivan, Colleen Elizabeth (Author) / Infurna, Frank (Thesis director) / Luthar, Suniya (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Perceived social support, broadly defined as resources or assistance provided by another person, has been consistently identified as a predictor of health and well-being. These outcomes may be partially explained by direct physiological effects, or the effects of perceived social support on psychological mechanisms that influence engagement in health behaviors, though what exactly these mechanisms are remains unclear. Previous work has proposed that through enhanced self-efficacy and self-esteem, perceived social support increases engagement in health behaviors, though direct evidence for this relationship is limited. Attachment, which plays a crucial role in healthy romantic relationships, may relate to social support’s influence on behavioral outcomes. This study utilized a novel social support priming task to examine if attachment-related working models of romantic partners mediate the relationships among different forms of social support, self-efficacy, and self-esteem in predicting behavioral intentions for self-nominated health goals. Broadly, primed social support positively predicted how supported individuals felt, which in turn predicted working models of their romantic partners. Working models significantly predicted self-esteem, self-efficacy, and intentions to work toward a personally relevant health goal. Self-esteem and self-efficacy also predicted behavioral intentions.
ContributorsVornlocher, Carley (Author) / Shiota, Michelle N (Thesis advisor) / Kwan, Virginia Sy (Committee member) / Ha, Thao (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023