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Description
Growing concern about obesity prevalence among youth has prompted the examination of socio-environmental influences that shape the development of eating and activity behaviors believed to regulate weight. Given the presumed significance of close friendships during adolescence, the present investigation assessed longitudinal relations between friends' physical activity, sedentary activity, and healthy eating behaviors and explored whether friends' obesity-promoting behaviors are linked to heightened obesity risk among adolescents. This prospective study utilized two Waves of data from 862 reciprocal and 1908 nonreciprocal same-sex friend dyads participating in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. To account for nonindependence tied to membership in a particular friendship dyad, multi-level models were estimated for indistinguishable (i.e., reciprocal) and distinguishable (i.e., nonreciprocal) friend pairs using the Actor Partner Interdependence Model. Adolescents' self-reported physical activity and healthy eating were significantly associated with their own and their friends' physical activity and healthy eating one year later; the strength of socialization across friend dyads did not vary with the frequency of interaction between friends or the stability of friendships over time. Limited support was found for a cumulative risk model of obesity-promoting behaviors as a predictor of increased obesity risk; heightened risk for weight gain was found only for adolescents whose reciprocal same-sex friends reported a higher number of obesity-promoting eating and activity behaviors. Overall, study findings highlight the role of close friends for adolescents' obesity risk and obesity-related behaviors. Stronger evidence of socialization resulted for adolescents that perceived their friends to be salient social models, as reflected by their acknowledgement of an existing friendship with such peers (i.e., reciprocal friends and nominators within nonreciprocal friend dyads).
ContributorsSlutzky, Carly Beth (Author) / Updegraff, Kimberly A (Thesis advisor) / Simpkins, Sandra D (Committee member) / Gance-Cleveland, Bonnie (Committee member) / Schaefer, David R (Committee member) / Iida, Masumi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Obesity in Hispanic youth has reached alarmingly high levels, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. In Mexican American children ages 6-11 years, 41.7% are overweight and obese, 24.7% are obese and 19.6% have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than the 97th percentile. While personal, behavioral, and environmental factors contribute to these high rates, emerging literature suggests acculturation, self-efficacy and social support are key influences. The one-group, pre- and post-test, quasi-experimental design used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) method to test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the 8-week intervention. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) was used to guide the design. Measurements included an analysis of recruitment, retention, participant satisfaction, observation of intervention sessions, paired t-tests, effect sizes, and bivariate correlations between study variables (acculturation, nutrition and physical activity [PA] knowledge, attitude and behaviors, perceived confidence and social support) and outcome variables (BMI z-score, waist circumference and BP percentile) Findings showed the SSLN program was feasible and acceptable. Participants (n = 16) reported that the curriculum was fun and they learned about nutrition and PA. The retention rate was 94%. The preliminary effects on adolescent nutrition and PA behaviors showed mixed results with small-to-medium effect sizes for nutrition knowledge and attitude, PA and sedentary behavior. Correlation analysis among acculturation and study variables was not significant. Positive associations were found between perceived confidence in eating and nutrition attitude (r = .61, p < .05) and nutrition behavior (r = .62, p < .05), perceived confidence in exercise and nutrition behavior (r = .66, p < .05), social support from family for exercise and PA behavior (r = .67, p < .01) and social support from friends for exercise and PA behavior (r = .56, p < .05). These findings suggest a culturally specific healthy eating and activity program for adolescents was feasible and acceptable and warrants further investigation, since it may fill a gap in existing obesity programs designed for Hispanic youth. The positive correlations suggest further testing of the theoretical model.
ContributorsStevens, Carol (Author) / Gance-Cleveland, Bonnie (Thesis advisor) / Komnenich, Pauline (Committee member) / Shaibi, Gabriel (Committee member) / Arcoleo, Kimberly (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Several decades of research have concluded that child social functioning is a critical predictor of wellbeing across various developmental domains. Most scientists agree that both genetic and environmental influences play defining roles in social behavior; the processes by which they concurrently affect child development, however, has been the subject of less research. This work examines distinct mechanisms that shape child prosociality by examining genetic and environmental influences on development, via two empirical studies. The first study analyzed the evocative-reactive and the evocative-socially-mediated hypotheses as gene-environment correlation (rGE) mechanisms connecting the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a) and dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) genes, child prosocial behavior, and parent differential treatment (PDT). Findings present modest evidence for the evocative-reactive rGE hypothesis; specifically, AVPR1a marginally influenced child prosociality, which subsequently predicted mother preference in adolescence. The second study examined several gene-environment interactions (GxEs) in exploring how social environmental variables- positive and negative parenting- predicted child prosociality, as moderated by socially-implicated child genes, DRD2 and dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4). Findings indicated that while positive parenting was predictive of child prosociality regardless of genetic variants, the effects of negative parenting on child prosociality were dependent on child genetic variants. Together, findings from these studies suggest modest genetic and environmental influences on child behavior in middle childhood and adolescence, consistent with previous research and theory. Directions for future research are offered, and intervention and policy implications are discussed.
ContributorsMeek, Shantel E (Author) / Jahromi, Laudan B (Thesis advisor) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Thesis advisor) / Valiente, Carlos (Committee member) / Iida, Masumi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
ABSTRACT Approximately 3.5% of adolescents in the United States have chronic daily headache (CDH). Chronic daily headaches in adolescents are often refractory to the adult pharmacological interventions. And as a result, adolescents typically experience increased levels of stress, which exacerbates their headaches. Chronic daily headaches negatively impact both the adolescent and their family. Adolescents with CDHs frequently exemplify comorbid psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and increased risk for suicide. Risk factors for CDH in adolescents have been well studied; however, few studies have focused on psychologically based interventions to enhance effective coping, positive mental health, and pain relief in this group of teens. Given the paucity of psychologically focused interventions in this group, further research is necessary to test and develop the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral skills building (CBSB) interventions. This pilot study focused on the use of a CBSB intervention that emphasized problem solving, cue recognition, effective communication, behavior modeling, cognitive reappraisal, stress management, effective coping, and positive thinking. A randomized controlled trial pilot study was conducted. The intervention group received a seven-week intervention focused on CBSB techniques and headache education, while the comparison headache education group received a seven-week program focused on basic headache hygiene measures (e.g., adequate sleep, adequate hydration, dietary triggers, environmental triggers). The total sample included 32 adolescents inclusive of the ages 13 and 17 years. Paired t-tests resulted in significant preliminary positive effects for COPE-HEP on anxiety, depression, beliefs, headache disability, headache frequency, and headache duration. Comparison group education resulted in significant preliminary positive effects on anxiety, depression, headache disability, headache frequency, headache pain level, headache duration, and medication frequency. There were no significant changes over time in means of parent perception of pain interference for both groups. Independent t-tests revealed that COPE-HEP teens had significantly less anxiety and headache duration at post-intervention. The acceptability of the COPE-HEP intervention with adolescents with CDHs in a specialty care setting is supported by this study, while the feasibility of conducting this study in a specialty care setting is partially supported. These findings support a need to refine the intervention and test both its short and long-term effects in a full-scale randomized controlled trial with adolescents who have CDHs.
ContributorsHickman, Carolyn (Author) / Melnyk, Bernadette M (Thesis advisor) / Jacobson, Diana (Thesis advisor) / Gance-Cleveland, Bonnie (Committee member) / Szalacha, Laura (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Although it is typically a normal family process, marital conflict that is not managed in a healthy way can lead to disruptions in the family system. Because approximately 46% of marriages end in divorce (U.S. Center for Disease Control, 2017), a literature review was conducted to better understand the complex relationship between marital conflict and socioemotional development in children. The current study focused on multiple phases in the family system: (1) the transition to parenthood, (2) early childhood, (3) middle childhood, and (4) adolescence. The review found that marital conflict and socioemotional development in children have bidirectional effects within developmental periods. By studying marital conflict and socioemotional development in children in these various stages of life, the thesis identified gaps in both the literature and our understanding of how these processes may have short- and long-term impacts on one another. I propose the Marital Conflict and Socio-Emotional Child Development (MCSECD) Dynamic to provide a more detailed explanation of the complex relationship between marital conflict and socioemotional development in children. To better improve the health and stability of the family system moving forward, I suggest that this complex dynamic be taken into account when implementing preventative and interventional marriage and family therapies.
ContributorsNam, JoAnn Jihyun (Author) / Iida, Masumi (Thesis director) / Bradley, Robert (Committee member) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
My thesis examined differences in areas of relationship conflict among various living arrangements of couples. I analyzed 249 phone call interviews from 54 couples that resided in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, had been in a relationship for at least six months, and were at least 21 years of age. By using a qualitative analysis, I analyzed differences in frequently mentioned areas of conflict (i.e. power, social issues, personal flaws, distrust, intimacy, personal distance) between romantic couples in three common couple living arrangements (i.e. non-cohabiting, cohabiting, and married). Findings showed certain areas of conflict were prevalent among all living arrangements, namely power and personal flaws. There were some differences between each living arrangement group: The non-cohabiting group was the only one to report distrust as a top area of conflict, and the cohabiting group reported more frequent incidents of conflict involving personal flaws than the married group. The married group identified social issues as a more prevalent area of conflict than the other groups. Differences in prevalent areas of conflict were examined in relation to varying levels of personal, structural and moral commitment that occur throughout the identified living arrangements.
ContributorsOlson, Paige O Shea (Author) / Iida, Masumi (Thesis director) / Fey, Richard (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The proliferation of intensive longitudinal datasets has necessitated the development of analytical techniques that are flexible and accessible to researchers collecting dyadic or individual data. Dynamic structural equation models (DSEMs), as implemented in Mplus, provides the flexibility researchers require by combining components from multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, and time series analyses. This dissertation project presents a simulation study that evaluates the performance of categorical DSEM using a probit link function across different numbers of clusters (N = 50 or 200), timepoints (T = 14, 28, or 56), categories on the outcome (2, 3, or 5), and distribution of responses on the outcome (symmetric/approximate normal, skewed, or uniform) for both univariate and multivariate models (representing individual data and dyadic longitudinal Actor-Partner Interdependence Model data, respectively). The 3- and 5-category model conditions were also evaluated as continuous DSEMs across the same cluster, timepoint, and distribution conditions to evaluate to what extent ignoring the categorical nature of the outcome impacted model performance. Results indicated that previously-suggested minimums for number of clusters and timepoints from studies evaluating continuous DSEM performance with continuous outcomes are not large enough to produce unbiased and adequately powered models in categorical DSEM. The distribution of responses on the outcome did not have a noticeable impact in model performance for categorical DSEM, but did affect model performance when fitting a continuous DSEM to the same datasets. Ignoring the categorical nature of the outcome lead to underestimated effects across parameters and conditions, and showed large Type-I error rates in the N = 200 cluster conditions.
ContributorsSavord, Andrea (Author) / McNeish, Daniel (Thesis advisor) / Grimm, Kevin J (Committee member) / Iida, Masumi (Committee member) / Levy, Roy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The current dissertation focused on the risks and rewards of the digital context in adolescent romantic relationships. Adolescent romantic relationships are a pivotal developmental milestone and a foundation for future relationship functioning. Thus, it is vital to understand how adolescents function within their romantic relationships to identify potential intervention points that can improve adolescents’ relationship skills. Adolescents frequently utilize technology within their relationships, with positive and negative implications. Thus, the digital context is an important area of research for adolescent romantic relationship functioning. The neo-ecological theory and the transformation framework help contextualize the digital context's impact on adolescent romantic relationships. The first study utilized two experiments to test the effects of an adolescent’s romantic partner hypothetically ”liking” a digital relationship threat’s Instagram post on their feelings of jealousy and digital dating abuse behaviors. Adolescents reported greater feelings of jealousy and engagement in digital dating abuse behaviors when their romantic partner “liked” a post from a different-gendered individual, and effects were exacerbated when that individual was high on attractiveness. While the digital context may serve as a risk context for adolescent relationships, the risk conferred may depend on the couple's functioning. Thus, the second study examined how sexting among adolescent couples was associated with their daily affect. Results demonstrate that while sexting may boost an adolescent’s affect on the same day, it is related to worse affect as the days pass. Lastly, the digital context can also be an external stressor that impacts the relationship. Thus, the third study examined how daily digital stress exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with late adolescent romantic couples’ substance use and mental health. This study examined actor and partner effects to assess the dyadic nature of stress contagion between romantic partners. This dissertation advances the current literature on associations between the digital context, adolescent development, and adolescent romantic relationship functioning.
ContributorsQuiroz, Selena (Author) / Ha, Thao (Thesis advisor) / Corbin, William R (Committee member) / McNeish, Daniel (Committee member) / Iida, Masumi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
School belonging is critical to well-being among youth. However, scholarship on school belonging among Black youth has largely used deficit perspectives. Furthermore, there is a lack of social, historical, and culturally informed perspectives to examine factors that may promote or prohibit school belonging. Currently, there is limited research about how factors across socioecological levels impact school belonging among Black youth, and how this relates to behavioral health. In this mixed-method dissertation, I used phenomenological perspectives (i.e., teachers, Black youth) to examine factors that promote school belonging while accounting for manifestations of racism, then link this process to marijuana use. In Study 1, I used interviews with racially-ethnically diverse teachers (n=15) in Arizona to examine their perspective on factors which promote or prohibit a sense of school belonging. Additionally, I used Brown’s (2007) framework to identify culturally responsive strategies for promoting school belonging. Findings demonstrated that cultural humility, human connections, diverse literature, culturally aware assignments, and extracurricular involvement are critical factors that promote school belonging, while racism evidenced by racial discrimination, colorblindness, discipline disparities, and systemic racism created significant barriers to belonging. The culturally responsive strategies demonstrate unified efforts school systems use to support school belonging among Black youth. In Study 2, I employed cross-classified hierarchical linear modeling with data from the Arizona Youth Survey and structural indicators of schools and neighborhoods to examine the association between school belonging and lifetime time marijuana use among Black youth (n=6120). Findings demonstrated that school belonging was associated with decreased marijuana use, which significantly varied across schools and neighborhoods. Specifically, Black youth that attended schools with higher percentages of certified teachers and resided in majority White neighborhoods reported greater decrease in the association between school belonging and marijuana use, while higher neighborhood educational attainment was related to increase in the association between school belonging and marijuana use. Integration of the findings from these two studies demonstrate promotive factors for Black youths’ sense of school belonging, while acknowledging how racism is embedded within their daily environments. Structural changes addressing racism and supporting Black youth are needed across contexts.
ContributorsMorris, Kamryn Serena (Author) / Seaton, Eleanor K (Thesis advisor) / Lindstrom Johnson, Sarah (Committee member) / Iida, Masumi (Committee member) / Flores-Gonzales, Nilda (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Emerging adulthood (18 – 28 years) is a distinctive period in the life course whereyoung people are involved in the process of transitioning to adult roles in their careers
and social relationships. Due to the ongoing COVID- 19 pandemic, economic instability,
and other social factors, emerging adults in the United States are experiencing greater
stress and challenges than ever before. In this climate of high stress, personal
characteristics such as an individual’s propensity to endorse sociotropy (the tendency to
focus primarily on relationships) or autonomy (the tendency to focus primarily on the
self) may be associated with experiences of stress and resulting depressive feelings based
on the diathesis-stress model of depression proposed by Beck in 1967. However,
perceived partner’s dyadic coping may buffer against the positive association between
stress and depression. Despite this plausible link, not much is known about how personal
characteristics (here sociotropy and autonomy) of emerging adults may influence their
perceptions of their own as well as partner’s dyadic coping. To address this gap, the
present study used survey data from 269 emerging adults to examine whether personal
characteristics such as sociotropy and autonomy are associated with their perceptions of
dyadic coping and to examine if these associations are moderated by perceived
relationship commitment, given commitment has been found to increase relationship
maintenance behaviors. Results found that both sociotropy and autonomy were associated
positively with positive dyadic coping by self and negatively with negative dyadic coping
by partner. Relationship commitment partially moderated these associations. Results of
this study have the ability to inform therapy for emerging adults in romantic relationships
who may be experiencing higher stress, symptoms of depression, and those who may be
experiencing difficulties in their relationships. Limitations and future directions for
research are discussed
ContributorsGandhi, Yuvamathi (Author) / Randall, Ashley K (Thesis advisor) / Bludworth, Jamie (Committee member) / Warner, Cheryl (Committee member) / Iida, Masumi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023