Psychology Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2801

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Examining pre-training interpersonal skills as a predictor of post-training competence in mental health care among lay health workers in South Africa
(2023) Rose, Alexandra Leah; Magidson, Jessica F.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
A worldwide shortage of mental health specialists contributes to a substantial global mental health treatment gap. Despite evidence that lay health workers (LHWs), or health workers with little formal training, can effectively deliver mental health care, LHWs vary widely in their abilities to competently deliver mental health care, which undermines the quality of care and patient safety. Prior research from both high-income and low- and middle-income countries suggests this variability may be predicted by LHW interpersonal skills, yet this relationship is little explored to date. The first aim of the current study, which uses an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, was to explore qualitative perspectives through semi-structured individual interviews (n=20, researchers, policymakers, NGO staff, LHWs) in Cape Town, South Africa on interpersonal skills relevant to delivery of mental health interventions by LHWs. The second aim was to quantitatively examine the preliminary effectiveness of pre-training interpersonal skills in predicting post-training competence following a mental health training among LHWs in Cape Town (n=26). Using a standardized LHW assessment measure adapted to the setting, two raters rated ten-minute standardized role plays conducted before and after the training for pre-training interpersonal skills and post-training competence. Qualitative findings highlight the perceived importance of and challenges with assessing interpersonal skills among LHWs being trained in psychological intervention. Quantitative analyses did not identify any interpersonal skills as significant predictors of post-training competence. However, interpersonal skills improved during the training itself, specifically verbal communication, suggesting the potential promise of further research in this area. Recruitment of larger samples with more variable training outcomes would be important in future studies examining predictors of LHW competence. Further research may ultimately help identify areas of intervention to support more LHWs in attaining competence and can help play an important role in increasing access to psychological services globally.
APPLICATION OF THE CAREER SELF MANAGEMENT MODEL TO WORKPLACE SELF ADVOCACY: THE ROLES OF ATTACHMENT, OUTCOME EXPECTATIONS, AND GENDER
(2024) Moturu, Bhanu Priya; Lent, Robert W; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The literature applying attachment theory to career development has grown rapidly in recent years (Yip et al., 2018), reflecting the recognition of attachment dynamics as an important factor in career exploration and management. The social cognitive career self-management model (Lent & Brown, 2013) has recently been applied to the study of self-advocacy (Moturu & Lent, 2023), which was seen as one important way in which workers exercise agency in their career behavior. This study integrated attachment theory with workplace self-advocacy and the CSM model. It also included development of a new measure of self-assertive outcome expectations at work (SAOW). Participants were 687 full-time employees who completed an online survey. The sample was divided into distinct measurement development and theory testing phases. An initial exploratory factor analysis (N = 200) found that SAOW contained two separate but highly related factors, positive and negative outcome expectations. It also provided initial support for the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the SAOW scale. Compared to men, women were found to have higher negative expectations and lower self-efficacy when they advocate for themselves. Results of a structural path analysis indicated that secure base support, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance were predictive of self-assertive efficacy and outcome expectations, which in turn predicted advocacy behaviors (e.g., self-promotion) and career outcomes (e.g., career satisfaction). I describe the findings in detail, discuss the utility of the SAOW measure, and consider the study’s implications for theory, research, and practice with adult workers.
SELF-PROTECTIVE EPISODIC SIMULATIONS MOTIVATE NEGATIVE SOCIAL BEHAVIORS IN LONELY PEOPLE
(2024) Davis, Alexander; Lemay, Edward P.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Loneliness can be an enduring condition, with the stability of loneliness comparable to that of a personality trait. The Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness (ETL) posits that loneliness is a self-perpetuating condition; lonely people prioritize self-protection over connecting with others. To self-protect, lonely people engage in increased hostility and avoidance and decreased prosocial behaviors. Engaging in these behaviors perpetuates their loneliness by eroding their social networks. I hypothesize that self-protective episodic simulations of rejection may be an underlying mechanism that drives negative social behaviors. To assess the effects of episodic simulations on the stability of loneliness, I conducted a longitudinal assessment of participants' unmanipulated episodic simulations of social interactions and ratings of loneliness. Participants were 207 undergraduate students at the University of Maryland who completed up to four sequential weekly assessments. Multilevel modeling was used to assess within subjects change in social behaviors, social perceptions, and episodic simulations. I found evidence to support episodic simulations of rejection predicted next week's prosocial behaviors, social avoidance, and hostility. Prosocial behaviors and hostility, in turn, predicted loneliness. I did not find evidence to support the hypothesis that loneliness predicts the following week's hostility. The results highlight the potential influence episodic simulations of rejection have on social behaviors and loneliness. Contrary to ETL, I did not find any support for the hypothesis that loneliness predicts future hostility.
The Portrayal of Anger and Anger Management in Children's Picture Books
(2024) Hernandez, Ilcia; Teglasi, Hedwig; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Through a comprehensive analysis of a sample of 80 children’s picture books, this study highlights the importance of embedding language to describe anger experiences and elements of social information processing (SIP) within stories to enhance young children’s understanding of anger arousal within themselves and others, as well as of anger management strategies. This study identified anger-eliciting situations, physiological and behavioral reactions, coping strategies proposed by helpers or the main character, along with other themes related to emotion socialization within the books. The current study identifies gaps in the portrayal of SIP mechanisms within stories, which underscores a need to emphasize the role of emotion dysregulation and of SIP biases during interpersonal conflicts as it is critical to foster regulation, reappraisal, and problem-solving skills among readers. The depiction of anger arousal and its escalation, predominantly through illustrations, is explored, along with implications for emotion understanding and cultural considerations of emotion expression. Picture book stories convey beliefs and values about anger by normalizing the emotion while promoting constructive regulation and expression through addressing the arousal in the body, delaying reactive responses, and using cognitive coping strategies. Overall, the current study has implications for caregivers and clinicians, in that becoming aware of how anger experiences are portrayed in picture books can aid in book selection based on a match with an individual child’s experiences and temperament to maximize its use as a tool for social-emotional learning and anger management in young children.
VARIATION IN SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING: IDENTIFYING AND VALIDATING LATENT CLASSES AMONG EARLY ADOLESCENTS IN THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (ABCD) STUDY
(2024) Qasmieh, Noor; De Los Reyes, Andres; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) in adolescence is heterogeneous in presentation and often associated with substance use behaviors. Yet, little is known about the link between these constructs. One framework of SAD identifies a subtype of behaviorally dysregulated, socially anxious individuals. Because the suite of goal-directed, cognitive processes known as executive functioning serves as a precursor to behavior regulation, we sought to explore whether heterogeneity in social anxiety presentation meaningfully varied with executive functioning in early adolescence and if this model of heterogeneity could predict substance use and other clinical outcomes. Using a person-centered approach to modeling, latent class analysis, a sample of over 10,000 children from the longitudinal Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study was used to model variation in social anxiety symptoms and performance on assessments of working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition. We also examined construct validity of the model by exploring associations with concurrent measures of behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation, and impulsivity. Finally, we tested the extent to which the identified model predicted later measures of substance use behavior, peer problems, and psychopathology. Support for a four-class solution of SAD symptoms and executive functioning performance was identified. Classes of individuals meaningfully differed on measures of behavioral inhibition and facets of impulsivity. Class membership was also predictive of later internalizing psychopathology. However, class membership did not predict later substance use, externalizing psychopathology, or peer problems. Future work should explore the generalizability of this model to older adolescents and whether alternative measurements of SAD and EF strengthen our prediction of later outcomes.
The Intersecting Effect of Substance Use Stigma, Methadone Treatment Stigma, and Racial Discrimination on Methadone Treatment Outcomes
(2024) Kleinman, Mary Buckley; Magidson, Jessica F; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Methadone treatment (MT) has demonstrated efficacy for treating opioid use disorder (OUD), but adequate engagement in treatment is a persistent challenge. Racially minoritized individuals with OUD disproportionately evidence poor outcomes. Stigma surrounding both substance use disorder (SUD) and MT negatively impact MT engagement. Racially minoritized individuals with OUD also routinely experience race-related stigma. This study aims to evaluate experiences of stigma in a population of patients receiving MT who identify as Black/African American and assess the impact on MT engagement. Participants (N=76) were recruited from an outpatient addiction treatment center in Baltimore City. Self-reported perception of enacted (experience of discrimination from others) and internalized (negative beliefs applied to self) stigma related to MT, SUD, and race were measured using the MT Stigma Mechanism Scale, SU Stigma Mechanism scale, Everyday Discrimination Scale, and an adapted internalized racism scale. Dosing data were collected from medical records over the subsequent 30 days. Correlations between stigma scores were calculated and negative binomial regressions conducted predicting MT engagement by individual stigma measures as well as moderation models looking at the impact of racial stigma on relationship between MT/SUD stigma and MT engagement. All stigma measures were positively correlated with one another. Longitudinal models indicated significant association between higher SU stigma enacted by healthcare providers and lower MT engagement, but no other direct relationships between stigma measures and MT engagement. In moderation models, across all significant moderating effects observed between racial stigma and MT/SU stigma, lower racial stigma appeared to heighten the negative effect of MT/SU stigma on MT engagement. This finding contradicts our original hypothesis based on an expected compounding effect of multiple sources of stigma. Attribution theory, especially related to perceived controllability and blame associated with stigmatized identities, may explain these findings and warrants further exploration in future research within this population. Shame associated with perceived controllability of substance use or need for methadone treatment may cause some patients to engage in avoidance coping strategies, such as disengaging in healthcare or treatment. Better understanding the role of racial identity in this context could help inform integration of intervention strategies to best support MT in the future.
Early adolescent romantic experiences and psychosocial functioning in sexual minority youth
(2023) Hubachek, Samantha Qirko; Dougherty, Lea R; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Sexual minority youth are at greater risk for negative psychosocial outcomes starting in early adolescence, in part due to stress related to stigma and discrimination. We examined early adolescent romantic involvement as a potential risk or protective factor for the development of psychosocial concerns in sexual minority youth using two independent samples of youth assessed in early adolescence. Study 1 utilized prospective, longitudinal data from the Stony Brook Temperament Study (SBTS) to examine associations between youth romantic experiences, sexual orientation, and psychosocial functioning from early (age 12) to middle (age 15) adolescence (N=392; n=348 heterosexual youth, n=44 sexual minority youth). Study 2 utilized cross-sectional data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a study with a larger and more diverse sample, to further examine the interaction between romantic experiences and sexual orientation in association with psychiatric symptoms in early adolescence (age 12), as well as whether interactive effects of romantic experiences and sexual orientation on psychiatric symptoms vary based on race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status (N=7184; n=6633 heterosexual youth, n=551 sexual minority youth). Although heterosexual and sexual minority youth were equally likely to have romantic and sexual experience in the SBTS sample, sexual minority youth were more likely to participate in romantic and sexual activity in early adolescence than their heterosexual peers in the ABCD sample. Across both samples, romantic experience in early adolescence was associated with poorer concurrent and subsequent psychosocial outcomes for sexual minority youth. Further, the interactive effects of romantic experience and sexual orientation in association with psychosocial outcomes did not vary based on race/ethnicity or parental education in the ABCD sample. These findings begin to characterize early adolescent romantic experiences in sexual minority youth and suggest that romantic involvement during this period may be linked to psychosocial concerns. This work may inform future clinical interventions targeting mental health in sexual minority youth.
PREDICTING PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT IN GRIEF: CROSS-NATIONAL DIFFERENCES AMONG KOREANS AND AMERICANS
(2023) Yang, NaYeon; O'Brien, Karen M.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Grieving the death of a significant individual is a universal experience. However, the rituals, beliefs, and meanings surrounding death are shaped by one’s cultural values. Recent scholars stressed the importance of recognizing cultural differences in bereavement, as Western-centric perspectives on grief in the bereavement literature could adversely affect clients with different cultural backgrounds (Rosenblatt, 2008). Prior research demonstrated that the constructs contributing to healthy grieving may differ across cultures. Specifically, continuing bonds, meaning-making, and social support have been identified as three constructs associated with bereaved individuals’ psychological adjustment in several cultures (e.g., Gillies et al., 2015; Kim et al., 2008; Scholtes & Browne, 2015; Yang & Lee, 2020). Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the similarities and differences in the relations among psychological distress, salient grief-related variables (i.e., internalized/externalized continuing bonds, meaning-making, and implicit/explicit social support), and psychological adjustment among Koreans and Americans during their grieving process. The data were collected in the United States and South Korea. The results indicated that psychological distress and one subscale of meaning-making (i.e., emptiness and meaninglessness) were associated with psychological adjustment for both US and Korean bereaved individuals. For US bereaved individuals, externalized continuing bonds and one subscale of meaning-making (i.e., being present) were positively associated with psychological adjustment, whereas one subscale of meaning-making (i.e., sense of peace) was negatively associated with psychological adjustment. For Korean individuals, implicit social support was positively associated with psychological adjustment. Overall, the results indicated that there may be both universal and culturally unique aspects of grieving. Clinical implications and future research considerations are discussed.
Impact of COVID-19 on Parent and Child Mental Health in India: A Mixed-methods Longitudinal Study
(2023) Havewala, Mazneen Cyrus; Wang, Cixin; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected individuals around the world. Parents of young children have experienced significant strain as they have attempted to balance their work obligations as well as take care of household duties and attend to the needs of their young children. Several studies have demonstrated the detrimental impacts of COVID-19 on parent and child mental health. However, the majority of studies are quantitative, cross-sectional in nature, and were conducted during the early phases of the pandemic. Moreover, there is limited work on the topic of parent and child mental health within the COVID-19 context among families in India. Thus, the current mixed-methods longitudinal study aimed to fill these gaps in the literature by attempting to examine the impact of COVID-19 on child mental health and parent mental health among families with young children in India. The study also aimed to understand the moderating effects of parenting behaviors with relation to child COVID-19-related stress and child mental health difficulties, and the moderating effects of social support with relation to parent COVID-19-related stress and parent mental health difficulties. One hundred and forty parents of children between the ages of 4 to 8 completed a survey between October 2020 and February 2021 (Time 1), of which 85 parents completed it between May 2021 and July 2021 (Time 2), and 70 completed it between July 2022 and October 2022 (Time 3). Qualitative in-depth individual interviews were conducted with a subset of the sample (n=20) between July 2022 and December 2022 to gain a better understanding of challenges experienced by parents and how the pandemic impacted them and their children in various ways over the course of the pandemic. The findings indicated that the stress caused by changes brought about by the pandemic was related to parent and child mental health in India. Parents in India experienced several challenges that impacted their mental health. Factors contributing to those challenges, and in turn, possibly their mental health are discussed. Parenting behaviors such as parental nurturance and restrictiveness were also related to child mental health and served as moderators of the relation between child COVID-19-related stress and child mental health difficulties; parental nurturance emerged as a protective factor while parental restrictiveness was a possible risk factor. Perceived social support was negatively linked with parent mental health difficulties, and it also served as a buffer in the relation of parent COVID-19-related stress and parent mental health difficulties at Time 1. Qualitative findings also indicated that support from spouse, other family members, friends and co-workers helped parents cope with the challenges associated with the pandemic. In sum, the findings of this study helped identify important risk and protective factors for parent and child mental health within the COVID-19 context in India. The findings have important clinical implications that inform future intervention efforts to support children and families during related stressful events.
Examining the Joint Contribution of Trauma and Adverse Neighborhood Characteristics to Paranoid Ideation: A Multi-Method Approach in a Transdiagnostic Sample.
(2024) Todd, Imani; Blanchard, Jack J; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Paranoid ideation is common in psychosis and is associated with impairment. Multiple cognitive factors influence paranoid ideation, including lack of belief flexibility and hostile attributions. Separately, negative affect precedes and maintains later paranoid ideation. Research on what provokes these cognitive and affective biases highlights the influence of trauma and environmental stress. Traumatic experiences are a reliable risk factor for psychotic disorders and suspiciousness. Prior literature examining trauma and paranoid ideation only uses broad indicators of positive symptoms or single-item assessments. Aside from trauma, environmental research identifies two major facets that contribute to the development and maintenance of psychotic symptoms: neighborhood deprivation and crime. Population studies show that individuals who reside in deprived neighborhoods are more likely to experience increased paranoid ideation. Crime may also influence perceptions of threat and hostility and has been related to paranoid ideation. Neighborhood deprivation and crime can be measured through objective assessments and neighborhood perceptions. Evidence suggests that neighborhood perceptions impact paranoid ideation, above and beyond area-level assessments of neighborhood features, but findings vary. Although trauma, neighborhood deprivation, and crime have been shown to impact paranoid ideation, few have examined these constructs in Tandem. The current study seeks to examine the association between individual-level (i.e., trauma, neighborhood perceptions) and system-level (i.e., neighborhood deprivation and crime) factors and paranoid ideation. Results indicated that greater trauma and perceptions of neighborhood violence concurrently contributed to more severe paranoid ideation. However, administrative data on neighborhood deprivation and crime were not related. These results indicate that violence perceptions interact with existing vulnerabilities in exacerbating perpetuating psychotic symptomatology. Thus, interventions focused on reducing paranoia in this population would benefit from considering past traumas and one's current environment.
CHILDHOOD BEREAVEMENT AND INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS: RELATIONSHIP QUALITY AS A MECHANISM AND EARLY ATTACHMENT SECURITY AS A BUFFER
(2024) Awao, Sayaka; Cassidy, Jude; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Childhood bereavement has been linked with poor psychosocial outcomes. However, few studies have explored the mechanisms and protective factors affecting child outcome following the death of a close family member (i.e., loss), and a limited number of studies have considered the timing of loss. The present study leverages a population-based longitudinal cohort data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) to examine outcomes (internalizing symptoms), mechanisms (relationship quality), and protective factors (early attachment security) at age 9 and 15 for children who experienced the death of a close family member during three developmental stages: early childhood, middle childhood, and late childhood/early adolescence. Although many of the hypothesized associations were not found, findings underscore the enduring impact of early childhood attachment in protecting children in the face of loss. Specifically, the protective role of early attachment security was found at age 15, particularly for individuals experiencing loss during late childhood/early adolescence. The study highlights the importance of continued investigation of the impact of childhood bereavement endured during different developmental stages, and the importance of examining outcomes at different ages.
MULTIMODAL ANALYSIS OF NEURAL SIGNALS RELATED TO SOURCE MEMORY ENCODING IN YOUNG CHILDREN
(2024) Lei, Yuqing; Riggins, Tracy; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The emergence of source memory is an important milestone during memory development. Decades of research has explored neural correlates of source memory using electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, connections between findings from the two approaches, particularly within children, remain unclear. This dissertation identified fMRI-informed cortical sources of two EEG signals during memory encoding, the P2 and the late slow wave (LSW), that predicted subsequent source memory performance in a sample of children aged 4 to 8 years. Both P2 and LSW were source localized to cortical areas of the medial temporal lobe (MTL), reflecting MTL’s crucial role in both early-stage information processing and late-stage integration of memory, which also validated LSW’s suspected role in memory updating. The P2 effect was localized to all six tested subregions of cortical MTL in both left and right hemispheres, whereas the LSW effect was only present in the parahippocampal cortex and entorhinal cortex. P2 was additionally localized to multiple areas in the frontoparietal network, a cortical network known as the “attention network”, highlighting interactions between memory encoding and other cognitive functions. These results reflect the importance of considering both spatial and temporal aspects of neural activity to decode memory mechanism, and demonstrated the potential of combining multimodal measures in children, paving the way for future developmental research.
Facilitators and Barriers of Neighborhood Social Integration
(2024) Fuchs, Joelle; Gard, Arianna M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Social isolation has reached concerning rates, particularly in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. Social integration can combat social isolation and loneliness and promote feelings of belonging. Social integration within the neighborhood context (e.g., chatting with neighbors, participating in local organizations) can be used combat loneliness, but less is known about the process of social integration across various social identities. The current study examines variability in the patterns and mechanisms of neighborhood social integration across sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., developmental stage-social role, ethnic-racial identity, and housing tenure). Thematic analyses were conducted on interviews with 29 residents of Wards 4 and 5 of Washington, D.C. Results suggested that youth were far less socially integrated with their neighborhoods due to gentrification-induced transience and school choice programming. Despite sociodemographic differences in the perceived facilitators and barriers to neighborhood social integration, many residents called for more community programming and shared spaces to facilitate neighborhood connections.
Real Partnership is Powerful: Understanding What Women Want and What They Know About Family Work and Communication
(2024) Trovato, Karoline Joy; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Women provide the vast majority of unpaid family care, resulting in relationship dissatisfaction, depressive symptoms, thwarted career advancement, and diminished earning power (Cooke & Hook, 2018; Jung & O’Brien, 2019; Woods et al., 2019). The PARTNERS video intervention (Trovato & O’Brien, 2022) was created to educate heterosexual college women about family work distribution and healthy partner communication. The intervention was effective in improving knowledge of family work and communication and enhancing confidence in communicating with a partner for 303 college women. This study builds upon prior research by Trovato and O’Brien (2022) to assess specific differences in knowledge of family work, desired partner characteristics, and communication resulting from the PARTNERS intervention, as well as to identify ways to improve the PARTNERS intervention. Results of this study indicated that that the PARTNERS intervention educated undergraduate women about family work inequity between women and men and the effect of family work distribution on women’s relationship satisfaction, changed their desired partner characteristics to align with communication-related factors, and taught women key PARTNERS communication strategies. Future directions for research and clinical implications are discussed.
ADHD and Cannabis Use in College Students: Examining Indirect Effects of Coping Motives
(2024) Taubin, Daria; Chronis-Tuscano, Andrea; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
ADHD is a developmental risk factor for cannabis misuse and cannabis use disorder. Individuals with ADHD also struggle to cope with negative affect and are more likely to engage in maladaptive, avoidant coping behaviors. This may be particularly salient in college, a developmental period characterized by increased stress and autonomy and easy access to highly reinforcing substances. However, despite this increased risk, little is known about mechanisms underlying why college students with ADHD use cannabis more frequently than their peers. This study examined associations between ADHD, coping motives (i.e., using cannabis to avoid or reduce negative affect), and frequency of cannabis use in a sample of college students (49% female) with (n=42) and without (n=30) ADHD using a two-week daily diary protocol. Results showed that ADHD was significantly associated with elevated coping motives and more days of cannabis use during the daily diary period. Additionally, there was a significant indirect effect of ADHD on number of cannabis use days through coping motives; students with ADHD endorsed a stronger drive to use cannabis to cope with negative emotions, which in turn was associated with more cannabis use days. Findings align with theory linking ADHD to increased vulnerability for avoidant coping behaviors. Further work may explore the potential of targeted, proactive interventions to help youth with ADHD build and utilize adaptive substance-free coping skills, particularly in the college context.
Family Reputation in Asian Indian American Women: An Exploration of Its Implications and Emotional Consequences
(2023) Sheth, Anjali; O'Neal, Colleen R; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Asian Indian American young women are often torn between two incompatible cultures, Eastern and Western. The former promotes collectivism while the latter promotes individualism. In addition to this internal cultural conflict, there is the added obligation of maintaining one’s family reputation which can create challenges for young women who are navigating these opposing cultures. The specific goal of this study was to understand how Asian Indian American undergraduate women experience and perceive family reputation, in addition to its impacts on their emotional experience, emotional coping, and mental health. The method involved semi-structured interviews with ten participants who identified as (a) Asian Indian American, (b) cis-gendered woman, (c) second-generation immigrant, (d) the child of two parents born in India, and (e) an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland. For analyses, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to code and develop themes that emerged from the interview narratives. Results yielded six superordinate themes that defined family reputation through the perspective of the participants as well as their conceptualization of the various factors that are related to the construct (e.g., gender). The discussion addresses the importance of understanding this construct as it shows up for this sample given its relevance in various aspects of their lives.
A Comparative Study of Certain Personality Characteristics of College Women Participating in Basketball and Modern Dance
(1965) Bird, Anne Marie; Johnson, Warren R.; Health Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Twenty-five college women attending the University of Maryland during the spring semester of 1963 were studied in an effort to determine whether or not there were any identifiable personality characteristics among those (14) who chose to participate in basketball, as compared to those (13) who chose to participate in modern dance. The subjects used in this study voluntarily chose the activity in which they participated. The California Psychological Inventory was used to evaluate the personality characteristics of the subjects. Analysis of the data showed that the basketball group scored significantly higher, at the 5 percent level of confidence, on the community scale. The modern dance group scored significantly higher, at the 5 percent level of confidence, on the scales measuring flexibility and femininity. A comparison of the group means for all other scales proved insignificant at the 5 percent level of confidence.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SENSATION SEEKING, ANXIETY, SELF-CONFIDENCE AND AIDS-RELATED SEXUAL RISK-TAKING IN A COLLEGE STUDENT SAMPLE
(1994) Isralowitz, Stuart Adam; Teglasi, Hedwig; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
The researcher investigated how the personality traits of sensation seeking, anxiety, and self-confidence are associated with AIDS-related sexual risk-taking of college students. It was hypothesized that individuals who exhibited high levels of sensation seeking, low anxiety, and low self-confidence in specific domains would participate in a significant amount of sexual risk-taking. If this were true, then preventive approaches could be geared toward helping risk-takers cope with the characteristics that place them at-risk. The researcher administered the following measures to 313 college students: the Sensation Seeking Scale Form V (SSS V), the Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scales-Trait (EMAS-T), the Personal Evaluation Inventory (PEI), a modified Sexual Behavior Questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire. Two aspects of sensation seeking (Disinhibition and Boredom Susceptibility) on the SSS V were significantly associated with AIDS-related sexual risk-taking. High sensation seekers engaged in more sexual risk-taking than low sensation seekers in these areas. In addition, moderate sexual risk-takers only exhibited less anxiety than low risk-takers in the Daily Routines aspect of anxiety on the EMAS-T. Moderate risk-takers displayed greater self-confidence regarding Romantic Relationships than low risk-takers on the PEI. The association between sensation seeking and anxiety was negative. High sexual risk-takers showed a greater worry about getting AIDS and higher perception of AIDS risk than low sexual risk-takers. No gender differences were found in sexual risk-taking. Implications for research included conducting studies regarding sensation seeking and AIDS-related sexual behavior with gay and lesbian college students, and with individuals of college age not attending college. Studies measuring the psychometric qualities of the SSS V and the PEI were also suggested. A practical outcome of this study was the proposed use of an updated measure to assess participation in novel, varied, and risky activities. Clinicians could employ this measure in public schools and college counseling centers, under certain circumstances.
Information Uncertainty Influences Learning Strategy from Sequentially Delayed Rewards
(2023) Maulhardt, Sean Richard; Charpentier, Caroline; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The problem of temporal credit assignment has long been posed as a nontrivial obstacle to identifying signal from data. However, human solutions in complex environments, involving repeated and intervening decisions, as well as uncertainty in reward timing, remain elusive. To this end, our task manipulated uncertainty via the amount of information given in their feedback stage. Using computational modeling, two learning strategies were developed that differentiated participants’ updates of sequentially delayed rewards: eligibility trace whereby previously selected actions are updated as a function of the temporal sequence - and tabular update - whereby additional feedback information is used to only update systematically-related rather than randomly related past actions. In both models, values were discounted over time with an exponential decay. We hypothesized that higher uncertainty would be associated with (i) a switch from tabular to eligibility strategy and (ii) higher rates of discounting. Participants’ data (N = 142) confirmed our first hypothesis, additionally revealing an effect of the starting condition. However, our discounting hypothesis had only weak evidence of an effect and remains an open question for future studies. We explore potential explanations for these effects and possibilities of future directions, models, and designs.
Understanding Parent and Teacher Perspectives of Temperament Profiles in Young Children
(2023) Waldrip, Sabrina M; Teglasi, Hedwig; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The study of temperament profiles is considered a person-centered approach to understanding temperament, as it takes into consideration the complex combinations and interactions of multiple traits that characterize an individual. However, most studies of temperament profiles have focused on reactive traits in infants and toddlers using parent ratings and/or laboratory conditions and since outdated methodologies. This study contributed to the temperament profile literature by exploring profiles based on parent and teacher ratings of reactive and regulatory traits of young children in kindergarten using the modern statistical technique of latent profile analysis. Kindergarten is a unique and critical time in development in which children are suddenly learning new academic, social, and self-regulatory skills as they begin formal education. Parent and teacher ratings of kindergarteners’ temperament were analyzed separately and the behavioral profiles produced by each were described. When only reactivity traits were included in the analyses, the profiles that emerged were mostly consistent with the three to four profiles that have been found in previous studies, including inhibited, exuberant, average, and/or low reactive profiles. When both reactive and regulation traits were included in the analyses, more nuanced profiles emerged that generally reflected subdivisions of the traditional reactivity profiles found in the literature but with varying levels of regulation. There were many similarities but important distinctions among the profile numbers, temperament patterns, and proportion sizes of the parent and teacher profile solutions. Neither child age nor child sex were found to be important predictors of profile membership. Despite its own limitations, the present study serves as a model for how previous methodological limitations in the field may be addressed to enhance our understanding of the complexity and nuances of temperament development and continue to push the field forward. Through such person-centered approaches, the field may one day guide parents, educators, and practitioners towards meeting the diverse needs of children with various temperament dispositions.

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