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.
Browse
4 results
Search Results
Item Early Adolescent Romantic Experiences: Early Childhood Predictors and Concurrent Associations with Psychopathology(2019) Foster, Chelsey Barrios; Dougherty, Lea R; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research has demonstrated that early adolescent romantic relationships are prevalent, and initiation of romantic relationships at younger ages bears important implications for youths’ future development. Although earlier dating involvement may increase risk for negative outcomes, the majority of research on teen relationships focuses on older adolescents; a paucity of research explores the phenomenology of preteen romantic relationships. Further, a striking gap exists in the study of how early childhood factors may affect early adolescent romantic relationships. In order to address these gaps, the current study aimed to elucidate the phenomenology and concurrent psychosocial correlates of preteen (age 12) romantic relationships and to delineate early childhood variables that predict involvement in and quality of preteen romantic relationships. In a longitudinal sample of 440 youth, we examined concurrent associations between multiple dimensions of age 12 romantic relationships (dating experiences, risky dating, relationship discord, relationship closeness, sexual experience) and friendship competence, and age 12 psychopathology (anxiety, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], disruptive behavior disorder [DBD] symptoms) and psychosocial functioning. Given prior research indicating that pubertal status and child sex may also play a role in romantic relationship involvement, we examined these two variables as moderators in concurrent analyses. In addition, we examined how two salient dimensions of early childhood (temperament and parenting, assessed at age 3) predicted romantic relationship outcomes at age 12. Results indicated that more frequent romantic experiences at age 12 were associated with increased psychosocial distress and poorer functioning; however, youth with higher quality romantic relationships evidenced lower levels of psychiatric symptoms and better psychosocial functioning. In addition, the associations between early adolescent romantic relationships and adjustment were complex and were moderated by child sex and pubertal status. Further, dimensions of age 3 childhood temperament and parenting differentially predicted dimensions of early adolescent romantic relationships and friendship competence. Importantly, our findings contribute to a growing body of literature on preteen romantic relationships, and are among the first data to examine early childhood predictors of age 12 romantic relationship outcomes. These findings hold important clinical implications for future early adolescent prevention and intervention programs.Item Medial Frontal Theta Negativities (MFTN) as Predictors of Anxiety Sensitivity Treatment Response(2019) Ellis, Jessica Steward; Bernat, Edward M; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health problems around the world. Despite a number of widely available interventions, it can take weeks or months to see effects, and nearly half of individuals may not respond. In an effort to better understand response rates, a large body of evidence indicates the most consistent predictor of treatment outcomes is activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Although activity in ACC can be measured by medial frontal theta event related potentials (ERPs) at a finer temporal resolution, these neurophysiological components have not been evaluated as predictors of treatment response. There is also a lack of research on the functional networks associated with ACC treatment prediction, despite implications for prefrontal engagement of cognitive control processes. The present study aimed to examine these gaps in the literature by using task-based electroencephalography (EEG) and medial frontal theta negativities (MFTN) as predictors of anxiety sensitivity treatment response. Using amplitude as well as functional connectivity measures (i.e., inter-channel phase synchrony), baseline MFTN (i.e., Theta-FN, Theta-N2) were assessed as predictors of treatment response at mid-treatment, 1-week post treatment, and 6 months post treatment. Subjects underwent a baseline EEG before completing three sessions of a computerized cognitive behavioral intervention. Contrary to the hypothesis, findings revealed MFTN amplitude did not predict treatment response. However, medial to lateral prefrontal theta phase synchrony demonstrated significant prediction effects, such that lower phase synchrony was associated with greater symptom improvement at mid-treatment, 1-week post treatment, and 6 months post treatment. This effect was specific to certain task conditions (i.e., gain feedback and go stimuli), as well as to the combined anxiety and depression treatment group. Results demonstrated accuracy and consistency of treatment prediction, as well as incremental validity after controlling for self-report measures. Finally, results provide additional support for a convergent medial frontal theta process, and suggest that low engagement of regulatory and proactive control mechanisms may be predictive of better response to cognitive behavioral interventions. This work represents a novel finding that may contribute to the improvement in treatment efficacy by serving as a target for future interventions and individualized treatment selection.Item The Interaction Between Parenting and Children’s Cortisol Reactivity at Age Three Predicts Increases in Children’s Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms at Age Six(2015) Barrios, Chelsey S.; Dougherty, Lea R; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Little is known about the role of stress reactivity in the emergence of psychopathology across early childhood. In this longitudinal study, we tested the hypothesis that child cortisol reactivity at age three moderates associations between early parenting and children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms from age three to age six. 160 children were assessed at age three and 135 children were reassessed at age six. At age three, we exposed children to stress-inducing laboratory tasks, during which we obtained four salivary cortisol samples, and parental hostility was assessed using an observational parent-child interaction task. At ages three and six, child psychiatric symptoms were assessed using a semi-structured clinical interview with parents. Results indicated that the combination of high child cortisol reactivity and high observed parental hostility at age three was associated with greater concurrent externalizing symptoms at age three and predicted increases in internalizing and externalizing symptoms from age three to age six. Findings highlight that increased stress reactivity, within the context of hostile parenting, plays a role in the emergence of psychopathology from preschool to school entry.Item Stability and Change of Cortisol Reactivity to a Laboratory Stressor from Early to Middle Childhood(2015) Leppert, Katherine A.; Dougherty, Lea R; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined the stability and change of children’s cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stressor from early to middle childhood and moderators of change. Ninety-six children completed stress-inducing laboratory tasks and provided five salivary cortisol samples at preschool age (T1; M = 49.88 months, SD = 9.51 months) and three years later (T2; M = 87.44 months, SD = 11.42 months). At T1, parents completed clinical interviews assessing child and parent psychopathology. Cortisol reactivity patterns significantly changed from decreasing to increasing reactivity from early to middle childhood. Moreover, preschool psychopathology moderated this change. Children with fewer preschool psychiatric symptoms demonstrated more stable reactivity patterns, whereas children with preschool psychiatric comorbidity demonstrated more unstable reactivity patterns across assessments. Findings suggest a developmental shift from decreasing to increasing cortisol reactivity from early to middle childhood, and highlight early preschool psychopathology as a moderator of change in cortisol reactivity.