Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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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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Item 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.Item Evaluating an Online Intervention to Educate Psychology Graduate Students about Grief and Grief Counseling and to Increase Their Self-Efficacy in Working with Bereaved Clients(2022) Jankauskaite, Greta; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Grief is a ubiquitous human experience with most if not all individuals experiencing a death loss at some point in their lives. Prior research found that all surveyed therapists reported having worked with bereaved clients at some point in their careers, with many (44.4%) noting that they provided grief counseling fairly often (Jankauskaite et al., 2021). However, research suggested that majority of therapists never received formal graduate training on grief counseling and may rely on outdated knowledge and questionable skills in working with grieving clients (e.g., Dodd et al., 2020; Jankauskaite et al., 2021; Ober et al., 2012), yet expressed desire to learn more about this clinical skill (Jankauskaite et al., 2021). Thus, the purposes of the present study were to develop an online intervention to educate psychology graduate students about grief and grief counseling and to evaluate whether the intervention can increase knowledge on grief and grief counseling and self-efficacy in working with grieving individuals. The study compared three study conditions – full video intervention, partial video intervention, and a control consisting of a reading. The results indicated that while controlling for prior grief counseling training and experience, participants randomized to the full video intervention had higher grief and grief counseling knowledge and self-efficacy in working with bereaved individuals than those randomized to the partial intervention and control groups. Overall, the results indicated that the full intervention is a feasible and efficacious way to teach psychology doctoral students about grief and grief counseling and to increase their confidence in working with bereaved client population. We end by discussing clinical implications and future research considerations.Item Disenfranchised Victims of the Opioid Epidemic: Predicting Grief and Growth after an Opioid-Related Loss(2022) Hill, Erin McKendry; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Over 75,000 people died from opioid drug overdoses between April of 2020 to April of 2021, compared to 46,000 deaths in 2018 (CDC, 2021; Wilson et al., 2020). Left behind are family members, significant others and friends struggling with grief as opioid-related losses are highly stigmatized and disenfranchised. Theoretically informed by the model of resilience (Mancini & Bonanno, 2009), as well as the transactional model of stress, appraisal and coping (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), this study examined the role of disenfranchised grief, social support, and coping in prolonged grief and posttraumatic growth among a sample (n = 159) of people bereaved by the loss of a family member, romantic partner or friend due to an opioid-related death. Together, disenfranchised grief, social support, and coping predicted 43% of the variance in prolonged grief and 36.6% of the variance in posttraumatic growth. Specifically active emotional coping predicted unique variance in both outcomes. Findings from this study have important implications for research and clinical practice to improve grief outcomes for this unique yet extensive population.Item THE EMPEROR’S TEARS: GRIEF AND MOURNING IN THE PROPAGANDA OF NAPOLEONIC FRANCE(2021) Treadwell, Charlotte Susan; Kosicki, Piotr H; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores Napoleon’s use of grief and mourning in propaganda. Drawing on military bulletins, published accounts of funerals, and poetry and prose, this thesis examines portrayals of the deaths of Jean Lannes and Géraud-Christophe Michel Duroc in official propaganda, and the responses these portrayals provoked in popular culture and private correspondence. This thesis outlines ways in which Napoleon and his government portrayed and evoked grief and mourning in order to influence public opinion, including depicting Napoleon’s grief in order to construct a sympathetic portrait of him, evoking grief within the army as a source of motivation, and using public commemoration of the dead to glorify the empire and provide a model of heroism and devotion for France’s soldiers and citizens to emulate.Item Women's Grief Experiences: The Death of a Close Female Friend(2019) Sauber, Elizabeth Winick; O'Brien, Karen M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Friendship provides women with a plethora of benefits, including reduced physiological and psychological distress (e.g., Martina & Stevens, 2006; Yang et al., 2016). Yet we do not know what happens when women lose their female friends. Previous work conceptualizes friend loss as disenfranchised, which exacerbates grief reactions (Deck & Folta, 1989). Thus, as informed by the individual differences framework of grief reactions (Mancini & Bonanno, 2009), the purpose of this study was to 1) qualitatively describe the bereavement of women who have experienced the death of a close female friend and 2) test an integrative model of grief reactions predicting complicated grief and posttraumatic growth among female friend grievers. For the qualitative portion of the study, seven women were interviewed in three focus groups. Findings from directed content analysis highlighted common grief reactions (e.g., sadness, yearning for their friends), supportive and disenfranchising interactions related to social support, ways of coping (e.g., rituals to stay connect to the deceased), growth after loss, and ongoing challenges after the friend’s death. For the quantitative portion of the study, a path analysis of online survey data obtained from 148 women was conducted using maximum likelihood estimation in Mplus. Analyses suggested that the hypothesized model demonstrated inadequate fit. Modification indices and additional pathways were reviewed for theoretical plausibility, resulting in three additions to the model. The revised final model was a good fit to the data, explaining 55% of the variance in complicated grief and 43% of the variance in post-traumatic growth. Most strikingly, avoidant emotional coping served as a key mediator and predictor of complicated grief, while problem focused coping served as a key mediator and predictor of post-traumatic growth. This has implications for counseling psychologists regarding theory and practice related to bereaved women—in addition to recognizing the significance of female friend grievers’ losses, the results can be used to advance outreach and intervention efforts among disenfranchised grievers.Item White Moths(2016) Kerr, Kelsey Ann; Arnold, Elizabeth; Creative Writing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This collection navigates the process of grief after the speaker’s loss of both parents. The speaker struggles to connect with both the dead and the living through her physical intimacy and relationship with a troubled lover. These poems explore and exhume the speaker’s buried memories, moving from moments of wry humor to meaningful and sometimes painful discovery. Ultimately, these poems attempt to reach beyond the self, to transform loss and loneliness from a human condition into a musical tool of art for human connection.