UMD Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.

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Examining Associations between Neural Sensitivity to Social Feedback with Trait and State Loneliness in Adolescents
(2024) Alleluia Shenge, Victoire; Redcay, Elizabeth; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Loneliness can be defined as the negative emotional response to an experience of discrepancy between the desired and actual quality or quantity of one’s relationships. Loneliness is associated with many negative outcomes, including depression and self-harm. This phenomenon tends to increase in adolescence and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at even greater risk for developing loneliness during this time than their neurotypical peers. The present study examined how neural sensitivity to both positive and negative feedback from peers is related to loneliness and social experiences among adolescents with and without autism. In a sample of 94 adolescents (22 autistic and 72 non-autistic) ages 11-14, we used an innovative ecologically valid paradigm for fMRI task along with real-world experience sampling to assess self-reported interaction quality and state loneliness, as well as surveys to examine reports of “trait” (or stable levels of) loneliness.The results indicated group differences in both state and trait loneliness, with the autistic group showing high levels of loneliness. In addition, the autistic group had lower interaction quality compared to their non-autistic peers. However, we did not find support for associations between neural sensitivity to feedback and interaction quality or loneliness across our full group. This work provides an important first step in understanding the relation between loneliness, neural sensitivity to social feedback and social experiences and can further inform intervention for adolescents at risk for negative mental health outcomes depending on which mechanism shows an association effect on social experiences and loneliness
Strengthening High School Transition and Attendance: Exploring Multi-level Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Absenteeism Among African American Adolescents
(2021) Holder, Sharifah; Green, Kerry; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Chronic absenteeism is a growing problem in the United States and is associated with poor educational and health outcomes including high school dropout, criminal justice system involvement, chronic disease, mental health concerns and early death. African American children in low income, urban areas are at elevated risk for chronic absenteeism based on factors at all levels of the social ecological model including mental health concerns, systemic and individual racism, parental, peer, and teacher relationships, school and neighborhood climate. The transition to high school is a critical moment when absenteeism rates increase dramatically. This study used a mixed method approach to better understand chronic absenteeism in urban high school settings. A survey gathered data from a cohort of ninth grade students transitioning into high school and regression analysis was used to identify risk and protective factors that may explain chronic absenteeism (n=216). A total of 30 in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with five chronically absent and five regularly attending ninth grade students from a predominately Black school. Critical Race Theory was used as an analytic lens for the thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews. Participants discussed challenges and opportunities that arise when transitioning to high school including finding a friend group, coping with anxiety, planning for the future, navigating a new school environment and maintaining ties to rapidly changing communities. Findings suggest that African American students possess many strengths including skilled navigation of social situations, adaptive coping strategies for emotional distress, creating a team of adults and peers for motivation and support, aspirational planning for future goals, and vocal resistance to oppression that can be further developed or cultivated to support positive attendance behaviors and contend with the impact of systemic racism that can sometimes be disregarded in predominately Black schools. Implications include the increased need for student voice in decision making processes, enhanced curriculum that addresses social emotional learning and gives students agency in determining individualized learning plans, school discipline reform, and community engagement. These findings are critical to transforming dominant narratives about chronic absenteeism in low income, African-American communities and providing feasible recommendations to improve educational and health outcomes.
A Comparison of Adolescents’ In-Person and Virtual Peer Interactions in a Multiplayer Video Game
(2020) Smith, Kelly Alexandra; Rubin, Kenneth H.; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Virtual peer interaction is prevalent among adolescents (Anderson & Jiang, 2018), but little is known about how adolescents’ virtual interactions with peers compare to their in-person interactions. The present study aimed to compare adolescents’ in-person and virtual interactions in a multiplayer video game during an initial interaction with an unfamiliar peer to examine differences in social behavior, physiological responding, and perceptions of interaction quality. The study also aimed to investigate how motivations for solitude related to interaction quality, and whether these associations differed across virtual and in-person interaction. Participants were 72 adolescents (78% male, Mage = 12.49) from the Washington, DC metropolitan area who interacted with an unfamiliar peer in the lab using the multiplayer game Minecraft. Pairs of participants were randomly assigned to interact with one another in-person, sitting in the same room next to each other, or virtually, able to communicate using the text-based chat feature. Participants completed questionnaires about their motivations for solitude prior to the interaction. They also completed questionnaires about their self-perceptions and affect before and after the interaction, as well as their perceptions of the interaction quality after the interaction. Participants’ social engagement and their social initiations and the partner’s responses were observed during the interaction, and their respiratory sinus arrhythmia was measured before, during, and after the interaction. Results showed that quantity of social interaction was higher in the in-person condition, but perceived quality of the interaction was higher in the virtual condition. Participants spent more time communicating with one another and made more social initiations in the in-person condition. However, participants in the virtual condition received more successful responses to their social initiations and reported enjoying the interaction marginally more, feeling less passive and more assertive, and viewing themselves as more socially competent following the interaction. Participants’ physiological responding did not differ across conditions. Shyness was related to less positive emotional responses to the interaction, particularly in the in-person condition, while other motivations for solitude were less consistently related to social difficulties. These findings suggest that virtual interaction can be an engaging context that facilitates high-quality interactions between unfamiliar peers, and it may be particularly helpful for shy adolescents.
GROWING UP IN RURAL MALAWI: GENDERED ASPIRATIONS, TIME USE, AND SOCIALIZATION
(2019) Zahra, Fatima; Madhavan, Sangeetha; Sociology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
My dissertation focuses on three understudied dimensions of challenges among youth in Malawi, and is structured as three separate papers. The first is, the relationship between aspired and actual timing of transitions out of school, and the extent of the gender gap in this relationship. The second dimension is gender disparity in acquired skills and learning outcomes in primary school, and how demands for labor at the household level help explain differences in dropout and student performance on Math and Chichewa tests. The third dimension focuses on girls’ relationship power, and the gender socialization experiences at school and individual characteristics that are correlated with it. Using the Malawi Schooling and Adolescent Study (MSAS), I find that 1) a higher desired age for marriage is associated with a lower likelihood of school dropout, and marriage related school dropout, with this association significant mainly among girls, 2) a high work burden is associated with a greater likelihood of school dropout in the subsequent year, but is not associated with performance on Math and Chichewa reading comprehension tests, and there is no significant gender difference in these relationships, 3) attitudes form an important dimension of the measurement of girls’ relationship power, and earlier experiences of physical violence in school, and individual characteristics including self-esteem and attitudes against spousal violent predict power in relationships in later adolescence and early adulthood. Together, the three papers in this dissertation provide critical insights into individual mechanisms that allow adolescents to stay in school longer, structural constraints like household labor allocation that limit their educational attainment, and the contribution of early socialization experiences to girls’ power in later relationships.
OPIOID ABUSE AMONG ADOLESCENTS WHO OFFEND: RISK FACTORS AND THE ROLE OF GENDER
(2018) Hickman, Shelby Nichole; Gottfredson, Denise; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
In this paper, I explore risk factors for opioid use and abuse among juvenile justice system-involved adolescents convicted of a serious offense; a group known to experience high rates of substance abuse and dependence. Using the Pathways to Desistance dataset, I assess whether risk factors for substance use that includes opioids are distinct from the risk factors for other illicit substance use that does not including opioids (non-opioid substance use). I also explore how, if at all, the motives and patterns of opioid use are distinct for male and female adolescent offenders. I identify older age, white race, and clinically significant mental illness as significant risk factors for substance use including opioids relative to non-opioid substance use. I do not find any distinct risk factors for adolescent females’ opioid use relative to their male peers.
Predicting unprotected sex among adolescents: Parental knowledge and callous-unemotional traits
(2017) McCauley, Katherine Long; Lejuez, Carl W; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Risky sexual behavior, including engagement in sexual intercourse without a condom, is common among adolescents and can result in many negative consequences. The aim of the present study was to conduct a longitudinal investigation of predictors of adolescents’ likelihood of engaging in sex without a condom. Past research has established that parental knowledge, or the extent to which parents know information about their children’s peers, whereabouts, and activities, robustly predicts youth’s engagement in risky sexual behavior. However, among youth with elevated levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits (e.g., the callous use of others, absence of empathy, lack of guilt, and constricted emotions), parenting practices and parent-focused interventions are typically less potent as predictors of subsequent behavior. Across three different logistic regression models which each conceptualized “parental knowledge” in a different way (though adolescent-report, parent-report, and through the discrepancy across reporters), this study examined parental knowledge, CU traits, and the interaction between these variables as predictors of adolescents’ subsequent engagement in sex without a condom. It was hypothesized that CU traits would moderate the relation between parental knowledge and engagement in sex without a condom, such that parental knowledge would be protective against engaging in unprotected sex only for those adolescents with lower levels of CU traits. Results indicated that, regardless of level of CU traits, adolescents who perceived their parents to possess greater knowledge were less likely to engage in unprotected sex. A higher parent report of parental knowledge was also related to decreased likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex, but, counter to the study’s hypothesis, parent-reported parental knowledge was only significant for adolescents with the highest levels of CU traits. This finding remained significant after controlling for adolescents’ engagement in unprotected sex in the year prior. The discrepancy between parent- and adolescent- reports of parental knowledge and the interaction between discrepancies and CU traits were not significant predictors of adolescents’ subsequent engagement in sex without a condom. Results from this study highlight the importance of considering both parent and adolescent perceptions of parental knowledge and have important implications for future prevention and intervention efforts.
Playing for Real: Designing Alternate Reality Games in Learning Contexts
(2016) Bonsignore, Elizabeth Marie; Druin, Allison; Library & Information Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Alternate Reality Game (ARG) represent a new genre of transmedia practice where players hunt for scattered clues, make sense of disparate information, and solve puzzles to advance an ever-evolving storyline. Players participate in ARGs using multiple communications technologies, ranging from print materials to mobile devices. However, many interaction design challenges must be addressed to weave these everyday communication tools together into an immersive, participatory experience. Transmedia design is not an everyday process. Designers must create and connect story bits across multiple media (video, audio, text) and multiple platforms (phones, computers, physical spaces). Furthermore, they must engage with players of varying skill levels. Few studies to-date have explored the design process of ARGs in learning contexts. Fewer still have focused on challenges involved in designing for youth (13-17 years old). In this study, I explore the process of designing ARGs as vehicles for promoting information literacy and participatory culture for adolescents (13-17 years old). Two ARG design scenarios, distinguished by target learning environment (formal and informal context) and target audience (adolescents), comprise the two cases that I examine. Through my analysis of these two design cases, I articulate several unique challenges faced by designers who create interactive, transmedia stories for – and with – youth. Drawing from these design challenges, I derive a repertoire of design strategies that future designers and researchers may use to create and implement ARGs for teens in learning contexts. In particular, I propose a narrative design framework that allows for the categorization of ARGs as storytelling constructs that lie along a continuum of participation and interaction. The framework can serve as an analytic tool for researchers and a guide for designers. In addition, I establish a framework of social roles that designers may employ to craft transmedia narratives before live launch and to promote and scaffold player participation after play begins. Overall, the contributions of my study include theoretical insights that may advance our understanding of narrative design and analysis as well as more practical design implications for designers and practitioners seeking to incorporate transmedia features into learning experiences that target youth.
The Role of Cross-cultural Experiences and Ethnic Identity in Transracial Adoptees' Self-esteem
(2015) Stephenson, Jocylynn Briann; Leslie, Leigh A; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Research into mental health outcomes of minority transracial adoptees has been fueled by debate over white parents' ability to prepare minority children for experiences of individual and institutional racism. However, studies show transracial adoptees do not differ from others in self-esteem, one criterion used to gauge mental health. Among minorities, ethnic identity is correlated with self-esteem, but studies show that transracially adopted adolescents often face ambiguous ethnic identity. Cross-cultural experiences have proven to increase ethnic identity in minorities, but little research has been done on their effect among transracial adoptees. The current study explored whether cross-cultural experiences bolster self-esteem in minority transracial adoptees through mediation of adoptees' ethnic identity. One-hundred-three transracially adopted minority adolescents completed online self-report surveys. Results indicated a significant negative link between cross-cultural experiences and ethnic identity and a moderately significant negative link between cross-cultural experiences and self-esteem in this population. Findings and possible explanations are discussed.
"I've Got to Help as Best I Can:" The Experiences of Predominately Low-Income African American Parents and Caregivers Involved with the Mental Health Care System and Their Responses to Adolescents' Depressive Disorder Diagnoses
(2015) Messina, Lauren A.; Anderson, Elaine A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Many mental health disorders are often diagnosed in adolescence, suggesting the well-being of adolescent mental health should be a public health priority. The prevalence of adolescent mental health issues has led researchers to investigate treatment utilization and effectiveness. Findings suggest there is a vast underutilization of care for adolescents and an even greater deficit in family involvement in adolescent mental health care. Yet, existing research neither offers a sound understanding of how parents interpret and understand their child's mental health diagnosis, nor how the parent-child relationship and parental involvement in treatment is experienced. A qualitative approach examined parents' and caregivers' perceptions of their adolescents' mental health disorder and how parents made decisions about their involvement in their adolescent's treatment in a sample of families already engaged with the mental health care system. Semi-structured interviews with 33 predominately low-income African American parents and caregivers who had parented a teenager diagnosed and/or treated for a depressive disorder when the family was the recipient of Medicaid were conducted. The Ecological Risk and Resilience Framework facilitated an understanding of the dynamics shaping parental involvement in adolescent mental health care. Grounded theory was used to analyze the data. Findings suggest parents' involvement in the diagnosis process may be initiated after a build-up of problematic events, often identified from sources outside the family. Parental responses to the teens' diagnoses included feeling relief but also confusion, while advocating for the needs of their teenager. The parent-child relationship post-diagnosis reflected four actions: parents being protective, showing patience and empathy, increasing communication with their teen, and teaching the teen accountability. Parents reported they had agency in making decisions about the teen's treatment. They wanted active involvement and saw their involvement as having mutual benefits for both themselves and their teen. Three encouraging components enhanced parental involvement: positive mental health care provider and parent interactions, the parents' own mental health and exposure to mental health care, and spirituality. The availability of insurance also positively supported more involvement. Care barriers included family or teen resistance and lack of resources. Race/ethnicity shaped the expectations parents had of the mental health care system but did not shape parental involvement in treatment. Strategies for forging greater parental connections with mental health treatment and the role mental health care professionals play in this partnership are discussed.
Coordinating School Goals: A Process Model of Multiple Goal Pursuit
(2015) Baker, Sandra Ann; Wentzel, Kathryn R; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
The social and academic goals students pursue in the classroom are important predictors of academic performance, particularly during the middle school years. Several motivational constructs, including self-regulation efficacy, have also been positively related to the goals students pursue in the classroom and academic performance. The role of multiple goal coordination (perceptions of inter-goal interference and facilitation) in predicting academic performance, however, has not been readily addressed. Goals are considered to interfere with one another when the pursuit of one goal conflicts with the pursuit of a second goal. Perceptions of inter-goal facilitation, on the other hand, occur when one goal is seen as beneficial to the pursuit of a second goal. The combined influence of these constructs in predicting academic achievement has not been explored. The purpose of the current study was to test a process model of multiple goal coordination that examined middle school students' self-regulation efficacy, multiple goals and perceptions of inter-goal interference and facilitation in relation to academic performance (GPA). Responses from sixth (n = 293), seventh (n = 226), and eighth (n =146) grade students from two racially diverse low-income school districts in the Southeastern U.S. indicated that self-regulation efficacy was a positive predictor of multiple goal pursuit. Students' multiple goals, in turn, mediated the relation between self-regulation efficacy and academic performance. Academic and social responsibility goals, in particular, were found to be important predictors of academic performance above and beyond levels of self-regulation efficacy. In addition, students' perceptions of inter-goal interference were negative predictors, and perceptions of inter-goal facilitation were positive predictors, of academic performance. Finally, results indicated that perceptions of inter-goal interference moderated the relation between self-regulation efficacy and academic performance (moderated mediation). If students perceived pursuit of one goal to interfere with the pursuit of a second goal, academic performance was lower regardless of levels of self-regulation efficacy. Findings provide evidence for a more complex model of multiple goal pursuit; one that includes both self-processes (self-regulation efficacy) and aspects of goal coordination (perceptions of inter-goal interference and facilitation) as factors that impact the relation between multiple goal pursuit and academic performance. Results also suggest that a measure of inter-goal relations can be a useful tool in examining motivational processes in young adolescent student samples.

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