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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Item Decolonizing in Individual Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Exploration(2024) Bansal, Priya; Hill, Clara E; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)We interviewed 12 therapists experienced in practicing decolonizing about their understanding of decolonizing and its relevance to therapy, as well as how they implemented this approach with at least one client. Interviews were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) and revealed that colonial paradigms had negative individual, relational, and societal impacts; therapists used a range of interventions aligned with decolonizing, including interventions to help clients gain insight about the systemic context of psychological problems and to facilitate client resistance of colonial ideologies; sociocultural identity interactions between therapist and client considerably shaped the therapy work; therapists encountered conceptual, practical, and systemic barriers to decolonizing practice; and clients experienced improvements across intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. Implications for practice and research are discussed.Item “PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD”: A MIXED-METHODS EXPLORATION OF RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY WITHIN FORMERLY INCARCERATED PEOPLES’ DESISTANCE PROCESS(2024) Dougall, Mansi; Morgan, Dr. Amy A.; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research on the relationship between religion and spirituality in promoting desistance among the formerly incarcerated remains mixed. Certain studies indicate a negative correlation between religiosity and criminal behavior (Johnson, 2011; Levitt & Loper, 2009), whereas others report no significant link between religion and post-release conduct (Giordano et al., 2008; Stansfield et al., 2017). To advance this body of literature, the present mixed-methods cross-sectional study examined the association between religion and spirituality on self-reported instances of almost re- offending among formerly incarcerated individuals utilizing secondary data analysis. Additionally, perceptions on how religion and/or spirituality contributed to formerly incarcerated individual’s desistance process was explored, sensitized by Family Systems Theory. The sample consisted of n = 191 formerly incarcerated individuals who were released from a carceral setting two or more years ago, and reported successfully desisting from further criminal behavior. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and logistic regression to examine the relationships between religion, spirituality, and self-reported reoffending. Thematic analysis was used to analyze participants’ qualitative responses of how religion and spirituality contributed to the desistance process. The present study contributed to the advancement of knowledge in desistance processes, with implications for criminal justice rehabilitation to guide efforts in supporting the successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals into societyItem Exploring Couple and Family Therapist Involvement in Social Justice Praxis(2023) Golojuch, Laura; Mittal, Mona; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)As the nation becomes more diverse, multicultural competence and social justice are being increasingly recognized as essential components to effective therapy practice (Hays, 2020; Ratts et al., 2016; Vera & Speight, 2003). While some scholars in the field of Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) have urged the importance of infusing social justice into training and clinical practice for years (see Hardy, 2001; Knudson-Martin et al., 2019; McDowell et al., 2019; McGoldrick, 2007), this topic is understudied and underprioritized by the field at large. Recent CFT scholars also acknowledge the importance of advocacy as an accompaniment to therapy (J. M. Goodman et al., 2018, Jordan & Seponski, 2018a, 2018b). Counseling and social work fields have prioritized social justice advocacy and codified it into mission statements and ethical codes (Ratts et al., 2016; Ratts & Greenleaf, 2018; Toporek & Daniels, 2018). Although CFTs are trained systemically, and may be enacting micro-level advocacy intervention in the therapy room, they do not always view themselves as advocates or enact macro-level advocacy interventions (J. M. Goodman et al., 2018; Holyoak et al., 2020; Jordan & Seponski, 2018b). This study utilized a sequential transformative mixed methods design to assess multicultural competence, social justice commitment and self-efficacy, and advocacy competence in a nationally representative sample of CFTs (n = 101) using survey methods. A subsample of 22 participants were interviewed to further explore their practices as multiculturally competent and socially just clinicians. Three complementary frameworks were utilized to ground the study: The Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC), critical consciousness, and Public Health Critical Race praxis. Overall, multicultural competence, social justice commitment, and social justice self-efficacy scores were high in this sample, while advocacy competence scores were lower. Results showed that identifying as Black or African American and completing additional training in multicultural competence and social justice were associated with multicultural competence. Results also showed that working in an agency setting vs. other settings was associated with lower levels of multicultural competence. Results showed that identifying as female compared to male, having a higher level of oppression, a higher level of civic engagement, and more additional training in multicultural competence were all associated with social justice commitment. Results showed that being older, completing more additional training, and having a higher level of oppression were all associated with higher levels of social justice self-efficacy. Finally, results showed that identifying as non-binary compared to male, completing more hours of additional training, and experiencing higher levels of oppression were all associated with advocacy competence. Additionally, receiving more post-graduate hours of training in multicultural competence, social justice, and advocacy competence was associated with higher multicultural competence, social justice, and advocacy competence. Qualitative findings revealed ways in which CFTs developed and embodied socially just clinical practice and explored recommendations for training.Item THE LONGER-TERM IMPACT OF PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION ON COUPLE RELATIONSHIP FUNCTIONING: EXAMINING PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS AMONG MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER-AGED ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES(2023) Du, Jingshuai; Quinn, Sandra SQ; Mittal, Mona MM; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The current study aimed to investigate the longer-term impact of everyday discrimination and major lifetime discrimination at Time 1 (T1; 2008 and 2010) on couple relationship functioning at Time 3 (T3; 2016 and 2018) across 8 years. It also aimed to explore if psychological (measured by depressive symptoms) and physiological stress responses (measured by allostatic load) at Time 2 (T2; 2012 and 2014) mediated the longitudinal association between discrimination and couple relationship functioning among middle-aged and older-aged adults in the United States (U.S.). To answer the study aims, I conducted a longitudinal mediation path analysis (N = 2,344) in Mplus Version 8 using data from the Health and Retirement Study, an ongoing national survey of the health and aging experience of U.S. adults aged 51 and older residing in the community. The primary longitudinal mediation model with control variables demonstrated good model fit (χ2[4] = 21.78, p < 0.01, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.04, SRMR = 0.01). The analysis results suggested that depressive symptoms at T2 significantly mediated the longitudinal association between the two types of discrimination and the two types of couple relationships spanning 8 years while controlling for race, age, gender, education, number of reasons for everyday discrimination and T1 assessments of couple support and couple strain. However, allostatic load was not found to be a significant mediator between the two types of discrimination and the two aspects of couple relationship functioning (couple support and couple strain). The direct relationship between discrimination (everyday and major lifetime discrimination) and couple relationship functioning (couple strain and couple support) was not significant either. The results from the multi-group analysis suggested that several structural paths differed significantly across gender, age groups, and number of reasons for everyday discrimination, but none of the paths differed significantly based on race. Overall, the current study did not find evidence supporting the pathway from perceived discrimination to couple relationship functioning through allostatic load. It provided evidence supporting depressive symptoms as a mediating mechanism between perceived discrimination and couple relationship functioning. Future work should develop innovative methods for assessing and measuring allostatic load to test its possible mediation role between perceived discrimination and couple relationship functioning. Moreover, effective and culturally-responsive interventions and programs are needed to decrease all types of discrimination and depression in order to improve couple relationship functioning among middled-aged and older-aged adults in the U.S.Item AFRICAN AMERICAN HETEROSEXUAL COUPLES COPING WITH RACIAL DISCRIMINATION(2022) Kartashev, Maria; Falconier, Mariana K; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This qualitative study investigated how African American heterosexual couples’ relationship are affected by racial discrimination and how they cope with stress from racial discrimination (including communicating their own and responding to each other’s stress). The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and themes were organized based on the areas of inquiry. Themes related to the impact of racial discrimination on the couple relationship included “my partner’s experiences of racial discrimination also affect me,” and “couples feel connected through the similarities in the experience of discrimination.” Themes regarding coping as a couple included “talking about racial discrimination with your partner helps,” “agree to disagree,” “joking together to show solidarity,” and “complementary gender responses to racial discrimination.” Themes were discussed using the systemic-transactional model of dyadic coping (Bodenmann, 1995, 2005). Though further research is needed to understand the impact of racial discrimination on African American couples and their coping, the current study suggests that couples cope with racial discrimination dyadically. This coping is diverse and sometimes gendered. Additionally, creating a safe space of compassion, despite differences in perceptions of racial discrimination, helps couples feel bonded by mutual trust, intimacy, and connectedness. Finally, limitations, clinical and research implications, and issues of reflexivity were discussed.Item Racial Socialization, Observed Maternal Conflict Behaviors, and Externalizing Problems in Black Mother- Adolescent Dyads(2021) Shan, Salwa; Smith-Bynum, Mia; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)African Americans living in the United States face unique stressors as a result of being part of a marginalized group that has been consistently at the bottom of the social structure system. We see the impact of systemic racism when we look at the racial disparities associated with various economic, political, and civil rights in our society. The emphasis on rules and strict parenting in African American families is related to the need that many African American parents feel to protect and inform their children of the many forms of racial discrimination they will face in American society. In order to raise children who are less likely to be engaged in risk behaviors and better prepared for the environment they are living in, African American parents enforce stricter rules and discipline for their children and utilize racial socialization as a unique parenting strategy. Adolescents who struggle for behavioral autonomy in areas where parents try to emphasize their control, often engage in deviant behavior and are more at risk of struggling to be compliant with rules and adjusting as they grow and develop. Some research has indicated that parent-child conflict has increased when there has been a focus on rules due to adolescents’ desire for autonomy. The role of maternal conflict as a contextual factor when delivering racial socialization messages has not been studied and may have significant impacts on the transmission and reception of such messages. This study aims to address the gap in research and connect the contextual factors of parent-child relationship quality in influencing the transmission and reception of racial socialization messages as seen by the impact on externalizing behaviors in adolescents.Item Family Support, Rejection, and Connectedness: Family Context and SGM Youth Mental Health and Substance Use(2021) Tomlinson, Katherine; Fish, Jessica N; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Adolescence is an acutely significant period of development, and sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) experience unique stressors which contribute to elevated rates of substance use, mood disorders, suicidal ideation and attempts, and other health outcomes when compared with their heterosexual, cisgender peers. Family is often the context in which SGMY navigate these stressors and manage their health. Family rejection and support have each been linked to health outcomes among SGMY, including depression and substance use. More globally, family connectedness is beneficial to adolescent’s health but is an understudied construct within SGMY research. Limited research has examined how these family processes converge to influence SGMY health. In an effort to capture nuance in family process and SGMY health, this study examined the relationship between experiences of family support, rejection, and connection among SGMY and their depressive symptoms and substance use. Findings have implications for research and practice with families.Item THE ROLE OF SIBLINGS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTAL RACIAL SOCIALIZATION AND OUTCOMES IN TRANSRACIAL ADOLESCENT ADOPTEES(2020) Lee, Jennifer Grace; Leslie, Leigh A; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Siblings are the longest relationship many people have in their lives, yet are often overlooked in research. Transracial adoptees, who may struggle with forming a sense of racial identity and experiencing low self-esteem, may benefit from the presence of a sibling of color. The research questions posed by this study are 1) What is the independent effect of having a sibling of color for transracial adolescent adoptees' racial identity and self-esteem? 2) Does having a sibling of color moderate the well-established relationship between parental racial socialization and outcomes of racial identity and self-esteem in transracial adoptees? Results of the present study indicated that having a sibling of color was negatively associated with a transracial adolescent adoptees’ self-esteem and having a sibling of color moderated the relationship between racial socialization and self-esteem. Higher racial socialization was associated with lower self-esteem for adoptees with no sibling of color.Item THERAPIST COMMON FACTORS’ INFLUENCE ON CLIENT CONSTRUCTIVE COMMUNICATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN COUPLE THERAPY(2018) Harbison, Liza; Epstein, Norman B; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study investigated the relationship between therapist common factors behaviors and changes in client constructive communication during couple therapy. Research suggests that common factors are associated with client improvement, but research on these factors in couple therapy is lacking. This study was a secondary data analysis of 41 couples presenting with mild to moderate psychological and physical partner aggression who received ten sessions of couple therapy at a university family therapy clinic. The study examined the relationship between therapist collaborative behavior and use of systemically based techniques coded from the fourth couple therapy session, and changes in client constructive communication, measured by client cognitions during conflict, client and partner behavior during conflict, and video coding of couple communication. Minimal significant links were found, but unexpectedly, therapist use of systemic techniques was negatively associated with change in female constructive problem solving cognitions. Implications of these findings are discussed.Item "Triggered": How the exposure to or experiences with Police are affecting Black Women's psychological functioning(2018) Madison, Jordan Ashley; Mittal, Mona; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Interactions between the Black community and the police have gained national attention recently. There is emerging literature on how being a victim and/or being exposed to these deaths and other incidents of police brutality is affecting the Black community. This study used qualitative interviews to explore the relationship between the exposure to and interactions with police and Black women’s psychological functioning and to further the understanding of coping strategies being used by Black women (n=5) to deal with this stressor. Results indicated that Black women feel fear, hyper-vigilance, and the randomness of negative interactions with the police. They reported using prayer, activism, and avoidance as ways to cope and discussed needing therapists to normalize therapy, as well as acknowledge and understand their experiences. Findings have the potential to address a significant gap in literature and can inform the development of trauma-informed programs for Black women.