Theses and Dissertations from UMD

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2

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 give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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2013 - 20202

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Family Cohesion

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    Depression and Perception of Family Cohesion Levels and Social Support from Friends in Emerging Adulthood at a University Mental Health Clinic
    (2020) Roc, Sabrina; Barros, Patricia; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Emerging adulthood is identified as a period of transition and uncertainty that occurs between the stages of adolescence and adulthood, often from ages 18-25. During this period, mental health issues are quite prominent, especially symptoms of depression. Previous research has explored what can ease the stress of depressive symptoms, and social support has had resounding effects. The present study used secondary analysis of data from 372 therapy-seeking individuals at a university-based family clinic to evaluate how perceived levels of familial cohesion and social support from friends are associated with depressive symptoms during emerging adulthood and whether or not age moderated the association. The results of this study show significant associations between familial cohesion as predicted, and social support from friends but in an unexpected direction. Age did not appear to have any significant associations. Potential future research as well as clinical implications are discussed.
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    The Influence of Discrepancies in Adolescent-Parent Perceptions of the Family on Adolescent Outcomes in Transracially Adoptive Families
    (2013) Hrapczynski, Katie Marie; Leslie, Leigh; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Transracial adoption creates a family in which the adoptive parent or parents are of a different race, culture, or ethnicity than the child, most often Caucasian adoptive parents and racial minority children (Vandivere, Malm, & Radel, 2009). Concerns about the influence of the racial differences within the family on child development and the competency of white parents to successfully raise racial minority children have led to an examination of how the family environment facilitates adoptee development. One aspect of the family environment researchers have focused on is the extent to which adolescents' views of their family differ from their parents'. Transracial adoption provides a compelling familial context to explore the role of discrepancy in adolescent-parent perceptions of the family on adolescent development because not only do the age and familial role of the child and parent differ, but so do the biology and race. Guided by developmental theories (Duvall, 1977) and the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems (Olson, Russell, & Sprenkle, 1979), this study examined the extent to which transracially adopted adolescents and their parents differ in their perceptions of family cohesion and conflict, and explored both the linear and curvilinear relationships between perceptual discrepancy and adolescent outcomes. The role of parental awareness of race was also investigated. The study utilized data collected as part of a national research study on transracial adoption. Seventy transracially adopted adolescents and one of their parents completed an online survey. Findings indicate transracially adopted adolescents and their parents tend to agree on the level of cohesion and conflict in their family. Moderate discrepancies in adolescent-parent perceptions of conflict were found to be related to higher adolescent self-esteem and less internalizing behaviors. However, adolescent development was not related to whether they and their parents had a shared perception of cohesion. The unique role of family cohesion in transracially adoptive families to counteract visible differences among members and solidify the family unit is discussed. Findings highlight the complexity of individuation in the context of transracial adoption, and present implications for adoption professionals, transracially adoptive families, and future investigation of adolescent development in transracial adoption.