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- Genre: Masters Thesis
Description
A growing body of research indicates that people of multiple racial lineages in the US encounter challenges to positive psychological adjustment because of their racial status. In response, they also exhibit unique resilience strategies to combat these challenges. In this study, the moderating roles of previously identified multiracial resilient factors (i.e., shifting expressions, creating third space, and multiracial pride) were examined in the associations between unique multiracial risk factors (i.e., multiracial discrimination, perceived racial ambiguity, and lack of family acceptance) and psychological adjustment (i.e., satisfaction with life, social connectedness, and distress symptoms) of multiracial adults. Drawing on risk and resilience theory, results first indicated that the multiracial risk factors (i.e., multiracial discrimination, perceived racial ambiguity, and lack of family acceptance) relate negatively with social connectedness and distress symptoms, but did not significantly relate with satisfaction with life. Additionally, a differential moderating effect for one multiracial resilient factor was found, such that the protective or exacerbative role of creating third space depends on the psychological outcome. Specifically, results suggest creating third space buffers (e.g., weakens) the association between multiracial discrimination and satisfaction with life as well as lack of family acceptance and satisfaction with life among multiracial adults. Results further suggest creating third space exacerbates (e.g., strengthens) the negative association between perceived racial ambiguity on social connectedness and distress symptoms as well as lack of family acceptance on social connectedness and distress symptoms. Moreover, no two-way interaction effects were found for either of the other multiracial resilient factors (i.e., shifting expressions and multiracial pride). This study highlights the complex nature of racial identity for multiracial people, and the nuanced risk and resilience landscape encountered in the US.
ContributorsJohnson, Preston (Author) / Yoo, Brandon (Thesis advisor) / Tran, Alisia (Thesis advisor) / Bludworth, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Multiple psychological frameworks have been developed to conceptualize how people internalize colonial logics about their cultural identity and culture, and how these logics in turn influence their psychological wellbeing. The extant literature has also offered various empirically supported frameworks to understand the role colonialism may have on the cultural identity and psychological wellbeing of Puerto Ricans, a community still enduring colonial oppression. This study analyzes cultural control as a mechanism of internalized colonialism, or more specifically, what messages Puerto Ricans internalize about their culture. The current qualitative research involved individual phone interviews with 12 self-identified Puerto Ricans living in Arizona and Florida. This study used qualitative thematic analysis of the transcripts, and hypothesized that Puerto Rican participants will internalize colonial logics. This study contributes to the foundational understanding of Puerto Ricans’ perception of culture, so a more complete framework can be utilized by clinicians who provide therapy to this unique and understudied population.
ContributorsKasad, Karishma (Author) / Capielo Rosario, Cristalís (Thesis advisor) / Truong, Nancy (Committee member) / Bludworth, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic during the spring of 2020 necessitated a sudden and national transition from in-person to telehealth mental health services. Burgeoning literature has supported the use of telehealth services generally, though there is little research related to its use among graduate-level trainees. The present study utilized data collected from a university counseling training center to compare client outcomes, namely ratings of depression and anxiety, between in-person (pre-pandemic; n = 86) and telehealth (intra-pandemic; n = 102) groups. Additionally, I examined treatment format (in-person vs. telehealth) as moderator of the association between client-reported working alliance and client-reported outcomes. Results showed a significant and negative effect of the working alliance on symptoms of depression and anxiety regardless treatment format. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
ContributorsGerton, Jessica M (Author) / Spanierman, Lisa (Thesis advisor) / Bludworth, James (Thesis advisor) / Dillon, Frank (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Individuals in a romantic relationship may avoid discussing certain topics with their partner, often to avoid relational and emotional risk. This strategy is known as topic avoidance and may be an important factor for individuals in turbulent romantic relationship to consider due to the importance of communicating with a partner. The associations between characteristics such as openness, relationship satisfaction, and perceived partner unresponsiveness, and topic avoidance have not been directly studied within dogmatism literature. However, dogmatism, defined as a person’s relative openness (or closedness) to new information, may be an important construct associated with topic avoidance that strengthens the associations between perceived partner unresponsiveness, and topic avoidance, and weakens the association between openness, relationship satisfaction, and topic avoidance. Using data from 334 individuals in romantic relationships, results revealed that perceived partner unresponsiveness was positively associated with State of the Relationship, relationship satisfaction was positively associated with Conflict-Inducing and Negative Life Experiences, such that as scores on relationship satisfaction and perceived partner unresponsiveness increased, topic avoidance scores also increased. Openness was not associated with Topic Avoidance. Additionally, as predicted, dogmatism moderated the association between relationship satisfaction and State of the Relationship Topic Avoidance, the associations between perceived partner unresponsiveness and State of the Relationship Topic Avoidance and Negative Life Experiences Topic Avoidance. This research has important implications for clinicians working with individuals who present with relational concerns
and exhibit dogmatic behavior. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
and exhibit dogmatic behavior. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
ContributorsMikel, Lindsay (Author) / Randall, Ashley K. (Thesis advisor) / Bludworth, James (Committee member) / Guerrero, Laura (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Activity in the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system tends tocovary amongst romantic partners. Studies of interpersonal physiology suggest that
romantic partners possess the ability to influence each other’s physiological states, which
may be observable through systematic covariation in partners’ physiological activity (i.e.,
physiological synchrony). However, very few studies have directly tested physiological
synchrony across conversation contexts, which is a notable gap in the literature given that
social context may modulate the implications of physiological synchrony on relational
functioning. Using electrodermal skin conductance as a measure of autonomic activity,
this study used multilevel vector autoregressive modeling to test for time-lagged
physiological synchrony across different-gender romantic partners while they discuss 1) a
mutual stress and 2) a topic of mutual enjoyment. Strong carryover (i.e., autoregressive)
effects were observed in both female and male partners in both conversations.
Unidirectional time-lagged synchrony was observed in the mutual stress conversation,
with female skin conductance preceding and predicting male skin conductance, on
average. No time-lagged synchrony effects were observed in the enjoyment conversation,
on average. Across both conversations, physiological synchrony varied greatly between
each couple. Findings prompt future studies to further explore physiological synchrony
using multiple physiological indicators to identity couple-specific dynamics.
ContributorsLeon, Gabriel Aaron (Author) / Randall, Ashley K (Thesis advisor) / Bludworth, James (Committee member) / Burleson, Mary H (Committee member) / Duran, Nicholas D (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Depression has been found to be a major problem for young adults in college, with multiple studies indicating high prevalence rates for this population. College students struggling with depression suffer from various consequences, including academic impairment and suicidal ideation, with suicide being a leading cause of death for people in the typical age range for undergraduates. Grounded in cognitive behavior theory and humanistic theory, this study examined the intra and interpersonal factors related to depression among undergraduates. Specifically, the interrelations between friend social support, sense of belonging to the college, mattering to friends, hope, and depressive symptoms were explored. Sex and number of close friends were controlled for, as the literature also showed evidence of their significant relations to depression. The sample consisted of 177 undergraduates between the ages of 18 and 25 from a large southwestern university. Participants responded to an online survey. While participants represented a diverse range of ethnicities, the majority were White. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that hope and sense of belonging to the college negatively predicted depressive symptoms. Furthermore, through zero-order correlations, it was found that friend social support, sense of belonging to the college, mattering to friends, and hope were all positively correlated with each other. Implications for prevention and clinical practice include the roles that counselors, college personnel, and students play in the battle against depression.
ContributorsTang, Edwin (Author) / Robinson Kurpius, Sharon E (Thesis advisor) / Kinnier, Richard (Committee member) / Bludworth, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021