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Description
Previous research indicates that difficulties in emotion regulation and greater dissociation from one's emotions are often observed among trauma survivors. Further, trauma survivors often show greater negative emotions such as anger, and diminished positive emotions such as happiness. Relatively less is known about the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms, dissociation, emotion regulation difficulties, and non-trauma related emotional experiences in daily life. This study examined whether greater reports of posttraumatic stress symptoms, difficulties in emotion regulation, and dissociative tendencies were associated with greater intensity of anger and lower intensity of happiness during a relived emotions task (i.e., recalling and describing autobiographical memories evoking specific emotions). Participants were 50 individuals who had experienced a traumatic event and reported a range of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Participants rated how they felt while recalling specific emotional memories, as well as how they remembered feeling at the time of the event. Results showed that dissociative tendencies was the best predictor of greater intensity of anger and, contrary to the hypothesis, dissociative tendencies was predictive of greater happiness intensity as well. These findings are consistent with previous research indicating a paradoxical effect of heightened anger reactivity among individuals with dissociative tendencies. In addition, researchers have argued that individuals with a history of traumatization do not report lower positive emotional experiences. The present findings may suggest the use of dissociation as a mechanism to avoid certain trauma related emotions (e.g, fear and anxiety), in turn creating heightened experiences of other emotions such as anger and happiness.
ContributorsTorres, Dhannia L (Author) / Robinson Kurpius, Sharon (Thesis advisor) / Roberts, Nicole A. (Committee member) / Homer, Judith (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
The relations among internalization of the U.S. sociocultural standard of the ideal male body image, male body dissatisfaction, and behavioral and psychological outcomes of male body dissatisfaction were examined in a sample of 215 ethnically diverse male college students. Concerns regarding accurate assessment of male body dissatisfaction were addressed. Structural equation modeling was utilized to identify the relations among the internalization of the sociocultural ideal male body image, male body dissatisfaction (as measured by the Male Body Attitudes Scale, MBAS; Tylka, Bergeron, & Schwartz, 2005), and behavioral and psychological outcomes. Results demonstrated that internalization of specific aspects of the ideal male body (lean and muscular) predicted corresponding components of male body dissatisfaction (lean and muscular). Further, each component of male body dissatisfaction was related to distinct behavioral and psychological outcomes. Implications for clinical practice and research were discussed.
ContributorsPoloskov, Elizabeth (Author) / Tracey, Terence J.G. (Thesis advisor) / Robinson Kurpius, Sharon (Committee member) / Arciniega, G. Miguel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Adolescence is a tumultuous time, and for those with risk factors, it can be even more difficult. This study examined the relationships among intrinsic and extrinsic protective factors such as high self-esteem, high self-efficacy, mattering to others, positive sense of identity, and healthy peer relationships in female adolescents. Additionally, the current study assessed the impact of a positive youth development intervention designed for this particular population. The potential sample consisted of adolescent girls who were students at an alternative high school in the Southwestern region of the United States. Of the 25 girls at the school, 12 participated in the study and completed pre-test instruments measuring self-esteem, self-efficacy, mattering to friends and parents, identity distress, and relational aggression. The instruments were administered before and after a positive youth development intervention of which 10 of the 12 participants attended. The intervention, Girls Circle, consisted of activities designed to foster self-acceptance, identity formation, healthy friendships, and goal setting in adolescent girls. While the study's intervention did not result in significant changes over time, several important findings emerged. Self-esteem was positively related to both mattering to friends and mattering to parents. Likewise, a negative correlation was found between relational aggression and mattering to parents. Girls who felt they were more important to friends and family had higher self esteem and were less likely to engage in covert aggression tactics such as spreading rumors and maliciously excluding peers from their social groups. These results support the literature and highlight the important interconnection of social relationships and subjective well-being. Teachers, counselors, social workers, and other helping professionals who work with adolescents need to understand these relationships and use this understanding to design and implement interventions that will best serve at-risk girls, such as those in this study.
ContributorsKincaid, Katherine J (Author) / Robinson Kurpius, Sharon (Thesis advisor) / Homer, Judith (Committee member) / Kinnier, Richard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010