Matching Items (14)
Description
Using an integrated perspective of the Grief Work Hypothesis and Posttraumatic Growth Theory, this study was designed to contribute to the sparse existing cross-cultural research by examining and comparing individuals' emotional adjustment and posttraumatic growth in the United States (US) and China. Another main goal was to unfold the predictive effects of different dimensions of locus of control, coping strategies and social support on the outcomes and further, to explore cultural differences in the underlying mechanisms. Web-based survey was disseminated and administered in the US and China. One thousand and seventy-eight participants completed the survey and met the criteria such that they were eighteen years old or older and experienced death of a loved one six to thirty-six months ago. As expected, US participants experienced higher levels of subjective well-being, lower levels of complicated grief and posttraumatic growth than Chinese participants. They also reported higher external yet lower internal locus of control, less frequent use of active and avoidance coping, and less informational support and negative social interactions than their Chinese counterparts. No difference in emotional support was evidenced between the two cultures. After controlling for demographic, loss-related information and the impact of post-bereavement life events, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that culture, external locus of control, avoidance coping and negative social interactions were unique predictors of complicated grief. Furthermore, the relation between external locus of control and complicated grief was weaker for US participants compared to that for Chinese participants. Culture, external and internal locus of control, active and avoidance coping, and negative social interactions significantly predicted individuals' subjective well-being after the loss. Additionally, culture, internal locus of control, active and avoidance coping, informational support, and negative social interactions were identified as unique predictors of posttraumatic growth. Specifically, an interaction effect of avoidance coping x culture emerged such that avoidance coping significantly predicted posttraumatic growth only for US participants. This study extracted the underlying mechanisms of predicting individuals' emotional adjustment and personal growth following bereavement. The influence of culture was also highlighted. Application of existing theories to the Chinese culture and clinical implications of the current study were discussed.
ContributorsTao, Chun, M.S (Author) / Miller, Paul A. (Thesis advisor) / Vargas, Perla A (Committee member) / Hall, Deborah L. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
This study was designed to investigate whether workplace positivity of full-time workers was related to health ratings. Positivity was conceptualized by a high rating of perceived work-performance, and work-engagement as defined by the Utrecht Work-Engagement Scale, including vigor, dedication, and absorption (Schaufeli, & Bakker, 2004). Health was measured utilizing the RAND SF-36 health survey including the eight subscales: overall, general health, physical and social functioning, emotional well-being, role limitations due to physical health or emotional problems, energy or fatigue, and bodily pain. All measures were collected simultaneously. It was predicted that perceived work-performance and all measures of work-engagement are positively associated with the aforementioned health ratings. Multiple regression analyses revealed that higher (positive) perception of work-performance and vigor were positively related to health ratings. Absorption was negatively related to health ratings. Dedication was only negatively related to physical functioning. These findings suggest that not all measures of positivity in the workplace are related to better health. Implications and future directions are discussed.
ContributorsFlores, Melissa Ann (Author) / Vargas, Perla A (Thesis advisor) / Burleson, Mary H (Committee member) / Hall, Deborah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Depressive disorders are common among the general populations but are present at an even higher rate among college students. Some research suggests that new stressors during the transition to college may place young adults at increased risk of depressive disorders. In addition, depression in college students has been linked to a variety of risky behaviors such as alcohol use and risky sexual activity. Fortunately, research suggests that religiosity may act as a buffer and lead to lower levels of depressive symptoms and risky behavior. Current research has not adequately examined the relationship between religiosity, depression, and risky behavior among college students. In this study, depressive symptoms were measured using the 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, while risky behaviors were measured using the section on risky sexual behavior from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey and the section on alcohol consumption from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, both developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Four questions frequently used in literature to measure critical behaviors and attitudes were used to assess participants' religiosity. It was predicted that engagement in risky behaviors would be associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms while increased religiosity would be associated with lower levels. Additionally, increased religiosity would be associated with lower levels of engagement in risky behavior. Multiple regression analyses revealed that risky behavior were not significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms, while higher church attendance was associated with lower depressive symptoms. Although not considered a risky behavior, ever being forced to have sex was associated with higher depressive symptoms. Linear regression analyses revealed that increased religiosity was associated with increased engagement in risky behavior. These findings suggest that while depressive symptoms and risky behaviors are prevalent among college students, religiosity may act as a buffer and lead to lower levels of depression and risky behavior. Limitations, implications, and future research are discussed.
ContributorsLafarga, Derek Grady (Author) / Vargas, Perla A (Thesis advisor) / Hall, Deborah (Committee member) / Roberts, Nicole (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
At first glance, trends in increased hunger and obesity in the United States (US) would seem to represent the result of different causal mechanisms. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that nearly 50 million Americans had experienced hunger in 2009. A year later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report showing that 68% of the US population was either overweight or obese. Researchers have found that these contrasting trends are actually interrelated. Being so, it is imperative that communities and individuals experiencing problems with food security are provided better access to healthy food options. In response to the need to increase healthy food access, many farmers markets in the US have received funding from the USDA to accept vouchers from federal food security programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, one organization accepting vouchers from several programs is the Phoenix Public Market. However, the mere existence of these programs is not enough to establish food security within a community: characteristics of the population and food environments must also be considered. To examine issues of food security and public health, this thesis utilizes geographical information systems (GIS) technology as a tool to analyze specific environments in order to inform program effectiveness and future funding opportunities. Utilizing methods from community-based participatory research (CBPR) and GIS, a mapping project was conducted in partnership with the Market to answer three questions: (1) what is the demographic makeup of the surrounding community? (2) What retailers around the Market also accept food security vouchers? And (3) where are food security offices (SNAP and WIC) located within the area? Both in terms of demographic characteristics and the surrounding food environment, the project results illustrate that the Market is embedded within a population of need, and an area where it could greatly influence community food security.
ContributorsRawson, Brooke (Author) / Vargas, Perla A (Thesis advisor) / Booze, Randy (Committee member) / Vaughan, Suzanne (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
This study examines the effectiveness of two modes of exercise on depression in adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). Thirty nine participants were randomly divided into a voluntary cycling group (VC) (i.e., self-selected cadence), an assisted cycling group (AC) (i.e., at least 30% faster than self-selected cadence accomplished by a motor), or a no exercise group (NC). In each cycling intervention the participant completed 30 minute cycling sessions, three times per week for a total of eight weeks. The Children's Depression Inventory II was administered prior to cycling (i.e., pretest) and after the eight week intervention (i.e., posttest). Although the data did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance, the results of the study demonstrated partial support for our hypothesis that adolescents with DS showed improvements in depression as measured by the Children's Depression Inventory II following assisted cycling, but not following eight weeks of voluntary cycling. In other words, eight weeks of moderate AC exercise demonstrated a trend for improved depression in adolescents with DS.
ContributorsMcgownd, Shana Leah (Author) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Thesis director) / Youngstedt, Shawn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Objectives: The goal of this study was to compare older adults (ages 60 to 80) with a fixed sleep schedule compared to a restricted sleep schedule. The purpose was to determine if reducing one's sleep by an hour each night for 12 weeks, led to worse cognition and mood over time. Study Design: The study contained two groups: older adults with their sleep restricted and older adults with their sleep un-restricted. Participants were recruited by researchers at Arizona State University and The University of Arizona by advertising in newspapers, on flyers in senior centers, and on radio stations. After rigorous screening for health conditions, current sleep patterns and depression, individuals entered the study. Participants completed the Geriatric Depression Scale after two weeks of baseline, and again after treatment week 14 of the study. Likewise, males and females performed three cognitive tests after two weeks of baseline, and again after treatment week 14 of the study. These cognitive tests included Stroop Color and Word Test, Trail making and PVT. Results: The depression scale and three cognitive tests showed that there was no significant difference with cognition and mood over 14 weeks between individuals with a fixed sleep schedule compared to a restricted sleep schedule. Conclusions: Reducing older adult's sleep duration by an hour each night for 14 weeks does not produce negative effects, and does not provoke signs of depression or weakened cognition.
ContributorsSchneck, Morgan Gail (Author) / Youngstedt, Shawn (Thesis director) / Petrov, Megan (Committee member) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Arizona State University. College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
This study was designed with the goal of measuring the effects of sleep deprivation on muscle function. Participants in this study consisted of 19 individuals, 11 of which were in the restricted group (age 251) and 8 were in the control group (age 231). Measurements of muscle function included isometric strength, isokinetic velocity, and muscle soreness. Isometric strength and isokinetic velocity were taken for knee extension using a dynamometer. Muscle soreness was measured via a 100mm likert visual analogue scale for the step-up and step-down movements with the effected leg. Measurements were taken at baseline, and 48 hours after the damaging bout of eccentric exercise following either 8 hours of sleep per night or 3 hours of sleep per night. Results show that there were no statistical differences between groups for either measurements of isometric strength, isokinetic velocity, or muscle soreness. Due to possible confounding factors, future research needs to be conducted in order to get a better understanding of the effects of sleep deprivation on muscle function.
ContributorsSalmeron-Been, Aaron James (Author) / Dickinson, Jared (Thesis director) / Youngstedt, Shawn (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or lupus, is a rare autoimmune disease in which the antibodies that are formed in the body attack healthy tissues and organs. The most prevalent physical manifestation of the illness is fatigue. Fatigue often plagues patients with no warning and without leaving a trace of measurable evidence. The issue of fatigue’s invisibility and the difficulties of communicating the experience of fatigue has been shown to impact relationships with friends, family, and physicians. It is important for patients to understand their condition in order to better identify their own triggers, manage their condition, and communicate their symptoms to friends, families, and other medical professionals. The study sought to explore the lived experience of women who have lupus, describe the impact of symptom invisibility on social support and patient-doctor relationships, identify effective strategies in communicating and managing the condition, and describe the broad range of life changes associated with the disease. The study utilized in-depth, semi-structured interviews to gather detailed information from eleven women with lupus. Six overarching themes emerged from the data: difficulties with diagnosis, discovering lupus is a process, managing lupus, social impact of lupus, communicating the experience, and limitations of the healthcare system. Symptom invisibility was not frequently cited as the cause of any interpersonal problems faced by the participants. Rather, the results suggest that the current healthcare system in the United States may not be equipped to adequately care for patients with lupus. This study provides insight for recommendations to patients with lupus and may inform cultural and policy changes necessary to improve healthcare delivery.
ContributorsVélez-Bermúdez, Miriam Eunice (Author) / Vargas, Perla A (Thesis advisor) / Mickelson, Kristin D (Committee member) / Roberts, Nicole A. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Dietary supplement (DS) use among adults is on the rise. This growing trend in DS use mirrors the quick and exponential growth of the fitness industry. The fitness industry focuses on the “appearance of health”, although some individuals focus on their appearance over and above their health. As a result of this focus on appearance, certain aspects of this unregulated industry promote unhealthy standards of beauty and an increase in negative body image, and influences at-risk youth to engage in dangerous practices such as extreme diet and exercise routines, or the misuse of dietary supplements. All of these factors have been linked to appearance and performance enhancing drug use, which is associated with substance use in athletes and non-athletes. This study sought to explore the role of gender as it pertained to dietary supplement use, specifically how gender differences amongst predictors of DS use (including BMI, physical activity, and body image) were associated with overall substance use in college students. The relationship between current DS use and other substance use was also examined. Students recruited from ASU fitness centers completed a survey which included questions on demographics, height and weight to calculate BMI, and several published, standardized questionnaires used to measure drug use, physical activity, body image, steroid and ephedrine use and attitudes, and dietary supplement use. There were significant gender differences in DS use as well as predictors or DS use. Controlling for demographic information, energy enhancing DS use and knowing someone who used steroids increased the likelihood an individual intended on using steroids in the future. Body image was not related to substance use in males, and physical activity mediated the relationship between DS use and substance use in males. While body image was associated with substance use in females, neither physical activity nor body image mediated the relationship between DS use and substance use in females.
ContributorsBucko, Agnes G (Author) / Vargas, Perla A (Thesis advisor) / Kassing, Jeffrey (Committee member) / Youngstedt, Shawn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
This study examines the effectiveness of two modes of exercise on self-efficacy (SE) in adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). Thirty-nine participants were randomly divided into a voluntary cycling group (VC) (i.e., self-selected cadence), an assisted cycling group (ACT) (i.e., at least 30% faster than self-selected cadence accomplished by a motor), or a no exercise group (NC). In each cycling intervention the participant completed 30 minute cycling sessions, three times per week for a total of eight weeks. Two subsets of the Physical Activity and Self Efficacy Survey were administered prior to cycling (i.e., pretest) and after the eight week intervention (i.e., post-test). The results were consistent with the hypothesis that self-efficacy would improve after ACT, however there was not improvement after the VC condition as hypothesized. It was also hypothesized that exercise perception would improve following the ACT intervention; execise perception showed a trend of improvement after ACT, but the data did not reach significance. Limitations include the wide variability of the DS population. This limitation is responsible for the variation in mental age seen in the intervention groups and could be responsible for the non-significance of the exercise perception data. To generalize our results for parents, therapists, teachers, etc., our recommendation is for persons with DS to participate in physical activity that is easy for them at first \u2014 a simplified sport or active game, assisted cycling, brisk walking \u2014 so that they have a positive experience with exercise. Showing individuals with DS that they can be proficient exercisers will likely improve their self-efficacy and motivate them to engage in more PA over time. In conclusion, eight weeks of moderate ACT exercise demonstrated a significant trend for improved self-efficacy in adolescents with DS.
ContributorsWallace, Kellie Carter (Author) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Thesis director) / Youngstedt, Shawn (Committee member) / Hoffner, Kristin (Committee member) / School of Nutrition and Health Promotion (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12