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
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Item THE ROLE OF MOTHER-CHILD RELATIONSHIP QUALITY IN THE LINK BETWEEN MATERNAL PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTROL AND INTERNALIZED MALADJUSTMENT IN EARLY ADOLESCENCE(2010) Kovacs, Sarrit Michal; Rubin, Kenneth H; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Self-determination and attachment theorists and researchers have recently hypothesized about the role of parent-child relationship quality as a mediator or moderator in the relation between parental psychological control and child and adolescent internalized maladjustment. Thus, the overall purpose of the present study was to empirically investigate the interrelations among maternal psychological control, mother-child relationship quality, and young adolescent internalized maladjustment. Ninety 5th and 6th grade young adolescents and their mothers participated in videotaped shared activities and completed questionnaires in a laboratory visit. The study sample consisted of mostly middle class, well-educated, two-parent families. The following variables were assessed and were of primary importance to the present study: maternal-reported psychological control; observed positivity and negativity in the mother-child relationship; youth-perceived positivity and negativity in the mother-child relationship; youth-perceived attachment security to mother; youth-reported self-esteem; and maternal-reported youth internalizing problems. Both a mediation and moderation model were examined. Simple mediation analysis was conducted in order to examine mother-child relationship quality as a mediator of the relation between maternal psychological control and young adolescent internalized maladjustment. However, no evidence of mediating processes was found. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted examining mother-child relationship quality as a moderator of the relation between maternal psychological control and young adolescent internalized maladjustment. Results revealed significant maternal psychological control youth-perceived mother-child relationship quality interaction effects on young adolescent self-esteem and internalizing problems. More specifically, young adolescents who perceived the lowest levels of negativity their relationships also reported higher levels of self-esteem when their mothers reported using low levels of psychological control. In addition, young adolescents who perceived the highest levels of positivity in their relationships had mothers who reported using low levels of psychological control and reported observing lower levels of internalizing problems in their children. Another important finding of the present study was the significant main effect of observed positivity in the mother-child relationship on youth-reported self-esteem. This finding was obtained despite the greater difficulty in obtaining significance when using independent reporters for the constructs of interest.Item Attachment Security, Mindfulness, and Psychotherapy: Testing a Mediational Model(2008-07-31) Ma, Yueher; Gelso, Charles J.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Previous research shows theoretical and/or empirical support for the relation between attachment security and adaptive functioning, between mindfulness and adaptive functioning, as well as between attachment security and mindfulness. Besides, mindfulness is considered to be theoretically similar to several constructs that has been identified as significant mediators in the relation between attachment security and positive life adaptations (e.g., reflective functioning, affect regulation strategies). The present study mainly examined whether mindfulness mediated the relation between attachment security and adaptive functioning in a clinical sample that consisted of students from a large mid-Atlantic university (N = 90, M (age)= 20.96, SD = 3.15). According to the participants' retrospective pre-therapy and current post-therapy self-report ratings, significant associations were discovered between attachment security and adaptive functioning, between mindfulness and adaptive functioning, as well as between attachment security and mindfulness before and after therapy. Also, the results supported the mediating role of mindfulness in the link between attachment security and adaptive functioning both prior and subsequent to therapy. Limitations of this study, directions for future research, and implications for clinical practice were discussed.Item Investigating the Moderating Role of Reflective Capacity in the Link between Attachment Security and Personal Resilience in Young Adults(2006-05-01) Ma, Yueher; Gelso, Charles J.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Previous research suggested that reflective capacity could help mothers who suffered from childhood deprivation better manage the challenging task of parenting and form secure bonding with their infants. The purpose of this present study was to examine whether reflective capacity might act as protective factor in assisting young adults, especially those with more insecure attachment styles (i.e., dismissing, preoccupied, and fearful), to better cope with challenges in life. The results of this study revealed moderate correlations between attachment security and personal resilience as well as between reflective capacity and personal resilience in the young adult population. Although the data in the current study disconfirmed the proposed model of reflective capacity as a moderator in the link between attachment security and personal resilience, they appeared to support the model of reflective capacity as a mediator in the relation between attachment security and personal resilience.