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- Creators: Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
- Status: Published
Description
Over the past few years, the issue of childhood trauma in the United States has become significant. A growing number of children are experiencing abuse, neglect, or some other form of maltreatment each year. Considering the stressful home lives of maltreated children, the one sure sanctuary is school. However, this idea requires teachers to be actively involved in identifying and caring for the children who need it most. Traumatic childhood experiences leave lasting scars on its victims, so it is helpful if teachers learn how to identify and support children who have lived through them. It is unfortunate that teachers will most likely encounter children throughout their career who have experienced horrendous things, but it is a reality. With this being said, teachers need to develop an understanding of what traumatized children live with, and learn how to address these issues with skilled sensitivity. Schools are not just a place where children learn how to read and write; they build the foundation for a successful life. This project was designed to provide teachers with a necessary resource for helping children who have suffered traumatic experiences. The methodology of this project began with interviews with organizations specializing in working with traumatized children such as Arizonans for Children, Free Arts for Abused Children, The Sojourner Center, and UMOM. The next step was a review of the current literature on the subject of childhood trauma. The findings have all been compiled into one, convenient document for teacher use and distribution. Upon completion of this document, an interactive video presentation will be made available through an online education website, so that distribution will be made simpler. Hopefully, teachers will share the information with people in their networks and create a chain reaction. The goal is to make it available to as many teachers as possible, so that more children will receive the support they need.
ContributorsHanrahan, Katelyn Ann (Author) / Dahlstrom, Margo (Thesis director) / Kelley, Michael (Committee member) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly have co-morbid psychiatric symptoms which can decrease quality of life. Although many adults with ASD are achieving greater independence, including attending college, psychiatric symptoms are generally not well controlled in this group. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a program that has successfully been used to reduce the stress, depression, and anxiety symptoms in many clinical and non-clinical groups and may also be effective for college-aged students with ASD. The present investigation assessed the demand, practicality, implementation, adaptation, and acceptability of an MBSR course for college students with ASD. A total of 22 participants completed the questionnaire containing 53 questions and were between the ages of 18 to 64. We found that the MBSR therapy is in high demand for individuals with ASD, and that the participants would be willingly complete the intervention techniques. Participants generally stated that a therapy course like MBSR may help reduce their symptoms, and that they were eager to enroll. Participants were willing to attend all 8 classes during the summer, with a preference for afternoons. Also, modifications including yoga and background music would be accepted by each participant as well as any additional modifications made to the course to meet the needs of the individuals with ASD. Next steps include enrolling and randomizing students into the MBSR course or control group, as well as collect pre- and post-intervention data. We hypothesize MBSR will reduce the psychiatric symptoms and stress levels of individuals in college with ASD, demonstrating its effectiveness in this vulnerable population.
ContributorsJones, Rachel Michelle (Author) / Braden, Blair (Thesis director) / Baxter, Leslie (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Department of Speech and Hearing Science (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The worldwide involvement and the detrimental impact of viral online challenges are distinct features that create a growing societal concern for young people. This study used an exploratory approach to investigate factors that predict young adult’s participation in viral online challenges. Specifically, the study analyzed the extent to which age, personality, social media use, and psychological motives (i.e., social connectedness and online self-concept) predicted participation in viral online challenges in a sample of 18- to 25-year-old college students. In a correlational, cross-sectional online survey, participants completed measures of the Big Five personality traits, degree of social media use, social media engagement, and motives, as well as attitudes and behaviors related to internet challenges. I tested two multiple regression models to investigate key predictors of attitudes and participation in viral online challenges. I found that age, degree of social media use, and social media engagement predicted differences in participants’ familiarity with and likelihood of having taken part in specific online challenges. In addition, social media use and engagement and social connectedness were significant positive predictors of participants’ scores on a measure of attitudes surrounding viral online challenges. Whereas the Big Five personality trait of conscientiousness was a significant negative predictor of attitudes about viral online challenges, there was little evidence overall of a link between the Big Five personality traits and participation in viral online challenges. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are discussed.
ContributorsIslas, Kimberly (Author) / Hall, Deborah (Thesis director) / Foster, Stacie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The present study examines the role of uncertainty and how it relates to variables pertinent to student success such as anxiety, future self-identification, and academic self-efficacy. The present study consists of two parts. Part 1 of the study aims to address whether levels of perceived uncertainty predict levels of state-anxiety, future self-identification, academic self-efficacy, and perceived predictability. Part 2 of the study aims to test the efficacy of a web-based manipulation among a sample of first-year students at Arizona State University. The experimental manipulation utilizes elements of self-compassion to attempt to mitigate the effects of uncertainty and anxiety, and their negative effects on cognitive performance. Additionally, the manipulation aims to increase academic self-efficacy and future self-identification. The study was administered online and consisted of 170 participants. For part one of the study, all participants were used in the correlational analyses. For part two of the study, the participants were randomly divided into two groups, the control condition and the self-compassion condition. As hypothesized, findings show that uncertainty of one’s future predicted (a) higher state-anxiety, (b) weaker future self-identification(b) less perceived predictability of the future, and (c) less academic self-efficacy. Analysis also revealed that perceived uncertainty and anxiety predicted a higher level of cognitive interference as evidenced by the number of errors on the Stroop Task. Nevertheless, the proposed manipulation did not demonstrate statistically significant effects to reduce students’ perceived uncertainty and anxiety about their future. In conclusion, the present findings support the theorized relationships between uncertainty, anxiety, future self-identification, self-efficacy, and cognitive performance. Implications, limitations and future directions of this research are discussed.
ContributorsThomas, Maitreya (Author) / Kwan, Virginia (Thesis director) / Corbin, William (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2022-05