VTechWorks Repository :: Browsing by Author "Dunsmore, Julie C."

Browsing by Author "Dunsmore, Julie C."

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Anxiety and depression: The moderating roles of self-perception and race
Fraire, Maria G. (Virginia Tech, 2010-04-14)
It has been shown that children with elevated anxiety levels are at a higher risk for developing depressive symptoms (e.g., Seligman & Ollendick, 1998). Furthermore, it has been shown that high self-worth may serve as a protective factor against developing both anxiety and depressive symptoms (e.g. Costello et al., 2008). The primary focus of the current research was to evaluate the moderating role that self-worth played in the predictive relationship between anxiety and depression. A second avenue of interest for the current research was the exploration of the role that race played in these predictive relationships between anxiety, depression, and self-worth. Using an ethnically diverse sample of 726 middle school children regression analyses were run to examine the predictive relationship between anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms, as well as the potential moderating role of self-worth. Additionally, a three way interaction was examined between gender, racial group, and anxiety in the prediction of depressive symptoms. Analyses showed that both self-worth and anxiety symptoms were significantly related to depressive symptoms. However, self-worth and race were not moderating variables in the relationship between anxiety and depression. Furthermore, there was not a significant three way interaction between gender, racial group, and anxiety in the prediction of depression. The discussion includes an examination of the limitations as well as possible future directions for research.
Assessing Forgiveness: Development of a Brief, Broadly Applicable Self-report Measure
Law, Mary Kate (Virginia Tech, 2009-05-01)
Forgiveness is a construct that has captured the interest of researchers and practitioners across various fields, from philosophy to biology; however, defining and measuring forgiveness has been a challenge because of its complex nature. By drawing on relationships discovered in past studies, reviewing definitions across disciplines, and noting weaknesses in current forgiveness measures, the task of developing a broadly applicable forgiveness measure with strong theoretical and psychometric roots resulted in the creation of the General Measure of Forgiveness (GMF). The GMF is a brief, Likert response questionnaire that is appropriate for both relationship and non-relationship transgressions; heretofore, there has not been an established measure for non-relationship trangressions. This study was an initial investigation into the psychometric properties of the GMF. In an online design, college participants (n=343) were administered the GMF along with an established interpersonal measure of forgiveness, the Enright Forgiveness Inventory (EFI: Enright & Rique, 2004), and other measures of theoretically related and unrelated constructs. For the forgiveness measures, participants completed the GMF and EFI (order counterbalanced) in response to the same self-generated relationship transgression, then completed the GMF in response to a self-generated non-relationship transgression. Results supported the internal consistency of the GMF (Cronbach's alphas of .93 for both relationship and non-relationship forgiveness) and an exploratory factor analysis identified a primary factor accounting for about 30% of the total item variance. Convergent and discriminant validity analyses resulted in largely predicted relationships (e.g., r = .81 for GMFrelationship and EFI; r = .78 for GMFnon-relationship and a single-item assessment of forgiveness; r = -.26 for GMFrelationship and anger and aggression). These results are encouraging as use of the GMF could open new areas of research in non-relationship forgiveness and enhance research and application of relationship forgiveness. Specifically, the GMF holds promise for improving research by providing a brief, non-proprietary, and broadly applicable measure of forgiveness. Broadly, the study suggests that a general measure of forgiveness is feasible.
Autism Spectrum Disorder Traits and Parental Stress: The moderating role of parental self-efficacy
Factor, Reina (Virginia Tech, 2016-11-10)
Previous research has established that caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience greater levels of parenting stress as a result of unique parenting demands and child problem behavior (Davis & Carter, 2008; Estes et al., 2013). Positive self-concepts, specifically parental self-efficacy (PSE), have been implicated as a buffer to stress in a number of contexts (Cieslak, Benight, & Lehman, 2008). While many studies examine parenting stress in relation to ASD, they often use parent self-report rather than objective measures in a laboratory setting. The present study aimed to further explore the role of PSE in the relationship of parental stress and ASD traits through a biological measure of stress, as well as a parent self-report within a controlled laboratory environment. Forty-two mother and child dyads participated in a validated parent-child interaction task designed to elicit a stressful experience. Mother’s heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were monitored as the physiological measure of stress reactivity. Mothers also self-reported on ASD traits, perceived stress-reactivity, and PSE. Results demonstrated a significant positive main effect for ASD traits on HRV reactivity, and an interaction such that the relationship between ASD traits and HRV reactivity (i.e., more emotional flexibility) was stronger in those with lower PSE. Given the low sample size and subsequent low power, results should be viewed with caution. Considerations of the context of HRV as well as implications for treatment targets and studying parental stress are explored.
Autonomic Patterns of Emotion across Multiple Contexts
Mcginley, Jared J. (Virginia Tech, 2015-06-17)
Research on the autonomic specificity of emotion has spanned several decades. Even though considerable evidence exists for supporting autonomic specificity for discrete emotion states (Kreibig, 2010), there is still an active debate, and conflicting explanations, for these findings (Quigley and Barrett, 2014). There have been several studies employing multivariate pattern classification analytic techniques and calls for those types of studies are still prevalent (Kragel and LaBar, 2014). Although many studies have explored the autonomic specificity of emotions, few have explored what effects the induction methods, themselves, have had in inducing the autonomic change. Autonomic specificity of induction methods might be a meaningful, and confounding, phenomenon in this literature. Based on this unknown variable, the current experiment was designed to see if methods for emotion elicitation could be meaningfully captured by these same pattern classification techniques. This was accomplished using three separate emotion-elicitation methods to elicit five separate emotions. A sample of 64 college-aged students watched film clips, read imagery scripts, and recalled personal memories for five discrete emotions. Using discriminant analysis, the evidence from the current study lent less support for autonomic specificity of emotion than past experiments, and lends some support for providing future exploration into autonomic change that is related to methods for induction. Potential confounds and task fatigue effects are discussed.
Bidirectional Influence of Emotion Processing on Language Development in Infancy: Evidence from Eye-tracking Mothers and Infants
Heck, Alison Rae (Virginia Tech, 2015-06-30)
The primary goal of this study was to examine how infants' language and emotion development intersect around the end of the first year. Specifically, is learning enhanced when a speaker is happy vs. neutral? Eighteen 12-month-old infants were familiarized and tested on four word-object associations that varied in bimodal emotion (happy vs. neutral), which were presented on a Tobii© T60 eye-tracker. Familiarization trials comprised of actresses looking towards and labeling a target object while ignoring a non-target distractor object on the opposite side of the screen. It was expected that infants would demonstrate better learning of word-object associations during the test trials when the speaker was happy. This hypothesis was partially supported, in that infants demonstrated a novelty preference for the novel non-target object compared to the familiar target object in the happy test trials only. However, no difference in attention was seen in happy test trials with the familiar target object and a familiar non-target object or for either of the neutral test trials. A second goal of this study was to examine infant-parent correspondence in emotion processing. Both infants and parents were presented with a series of emotion pairs on the eye-tracker, and the correlations between their gaze patterns were examined. In general, infants and parents had little to no correspondence in first look tendencies or overall fixation duration to either face in the pair. They also fixated on different areas of the face (infants on mouth region, parents on eye region). Finally, parental sensitivity was examined using a free-play interaction task. Parents' sensitivity was analyzed with respect to measures of infants learning during the language task as well as other infant characteristics (e.g. temperament, vocabulary). Overall, these findings add to the relatively limited research examining the intersection of language and socioemotional development in infancy.
Caregiver-Assisted Social Skills Intervention for Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Examining Caregiver-Child Relationships and Family Functioning in the PEERS® for Preschoolers Program
Factor, Reina Suzanne (Virginia Tech, 2020-05-26)
Social impairments characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are evident in early childhood and often worsen as an individual matures (Rao, Beidel, and Murray, 2008). Despite the emphasis on early intervention and caregiver training, few evidence-based interventions explicitly address the development of social skills in preschool-aged children with ASD (DeRosier, Swick, Davis, McMillen, and Matthews, 2011; Reichow and Volkmar, 2010) and none appear to actively integrate caregivers into treatment (Reichow, Steiner, and Volkmar, 2012). Research indicates that generalization beyond a social skills group setting might occur by including caregivers (DeRosier et al., 2011). The PEERS® program is an evidence-based caregiver-assisted social skills program for adolescents and young adults (Laugeson and Frankel, 2010) that has recently been extended for preschoolers with ASD. An initial randomized controlled trial (RCT) indicated benefits from the PEERS® for Preschoolers (P4P) program, but did not examine caregiver or family outcomes. Researchers also suggest a bidirectional effect in which the family system is impacted by the child with ASD and in turn, the child with ASD is also affected by the family (Karst and Van Hecke, 2012). This study examined the P4P curriculum with 15 children with ASD and their caregivers and examined feasibility of the intervention as well as child social skills, caregiver competency, confidence, and parenting skills in working with their child, and family functioning in the context of the P4P intervention. Results suggest the feasibility of proof concept of applying the P4P curriculum to young children with ASD and their caregivers. Specifically, this 16-session intervention appears to improve social skills scores in children with ASD, which is maintained 4-6 weeks after treatment, increased scores were noted in caregiver confidence interacting with their children, as well as improved scores in their affect/animation and achievement orientation in interaction styles with their child, and noted improvements in their parenting styles overall score. Therefore, this intervention may have an impact both the child and caregiver in positive ways and these positive results are largely maintained at a follow-up after intervention completion. Future research will need to focus more on the entire family unit, as no changes were noted in the present study, and should examine the specific mechanisms that lead to these positive results regarding child social skills and caregiver interaction styles and confidence. Additionally, more work that adds to making P4P an evidence-based treatment must be at the forefront of future work.
Childhood Emotional Abuse, Effects, and Protective Factors: Comparison of Protective Factors between Emotional and Physical Abuse
Papafratzeskakou, Eirini (Virginia Tech, 2011-04-29)
Although emotional maltreatment is clearly a very important issue that impedes youths' development, it has only recently begun to receive the attention it deserves. The present study hypothesized that for adolescents with high self-worth, high religiosity, high parent and peer support, high family cohesion, and low family conflict the negative effects of emotional abuse on internalizing symptomatology would attenuate. Additionally, the same protective factors were hypothesized to moderate the relationship between emotional and physical abuse and adolescent internalizing symptomatology. Two samples were used in order to test the aforementioned hypotheses: 1) a whole sample that consisted of adolescents with no or any emotional and physical abuse (N = 220) and 2) a no physical abuse sample that consisted of adolescents with no or any emotional abuse (N = 118). In order to assess the study variables the following measures were used: Conflict Tactics Scale-PC, Self-Perception Profile, Youth Religiosity Scale, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, Family Environment Scale, and Youth Self Report. None of the study's hypotheses were supported by the current data. It is assumed that this might be due to the sample's nature and it is suggested that future studies utilize a sample with different age groups and with higher reports (means) of emotional and physical abuse. However, the findings suggested that emotional abuse had a stronger effect on internalizing symptomatology than physical abuse, and the significant main effects of self-worth, parent support, peer support, and family cohesion indicated the importance of their presence in adolescents' psychological adjustment.
Cognitive Development in Late Childhood: An Examination of Working Memory and Inhibitory Control
Adkins, Denise Rene (Virginia Tech, 2006-04-07)
An interactive framework of working memory and inhibitory control has been endorsed for examining cognitive development across the lifespan (Roberts & Pennington, 1996). According to this framework, the interaction between working memory and inhibitory control (WMIC) is necessary for adaptive daily functioning (Roberts & Pennington, 1996) and crucial for the development of executive functioning in childhood (Brocki & Bohlin, 2004). Empirical work from early developmental periods supports the interactive WMIC framework (e.g., Bell, 2001; Diamond, Kirkham, & Amso, 2002) and has identified sources of variability (brain electrical activity, temperament, and language) associated with WMIC functioning in infancy and early childhood (Wolfe & Bell, 2004). Although there is some evidence to suggest the interdependent nature of working memory and inhibitory control in late childhood and adulthood (Diamond, 2002; Luna, Garver, Urban, Lazar, & Sweeney, 2004), work in these later developmental periods has focused primarily on the independent processes of working memory (WM) and inhibitory control (IC) and the interactive WMIC framework has not been directly investigated from late childhood onward. Therefore, the first goal of the current study was to examine the interactive framework in a late childhood sample. The second goal of the study was to examine sources of variability in WMIC functioning in late childhood, with the intention of determining which sources of variability were associated with and contributed unique variance in explaining WMIC performance. Thirty-eight children (19 male) completed four age-appropriate interactive WMIC tasks (the color-word Stroop, the Fruit Stroop, the counting go/no-go and the Wisconsin Card Sort Test) and two language tasks. Both parents and children responded to a temperament questionnaire. Brain electrical activity was collected via EEG recordings during a two-minute baseline and WMIC tasks. The four interactive WMIC tasks were tested for relation of the independent (WM, IC) and combined (WMIC) components within tasks and across tasks. The four WMIC tasks were not correlated with one another. However, the independent (WM, IC) components were correlated both with one another and with the combined WMIC measure within each task, providing some support for an interactive framework in late childhood. The sources of variability associated with the independent (WM, IC) and combined (WMIC) components of each task were identified. These sources were used to explain both collective and unique variance in WMIC functioning for each task. Different sources of variability explained independent (WM, IC) and combined (WMIC) performance across tasks. Unique and shared contributors within and across tasks (the color-word Stroop, the Fruit Stroop, the counting go/no-go and the Wisconsin Card Sort Test) and components (WM, IC, WMIC) are discussed in an effort to determine how sources of variability may be related to WMIC functioning.
Cognitive Reappraisal in Middle Childhood
Garcia Meza, Tatiana (Virginia Tech, 2019)
Cognitive reappraisal (CR) involves changing one’s mental states in response to an emotionally eliciting event in order to down regulate the potential emotional impact. In this study, 50 children who were 9-10 years old were instructed to engage in CR during a sad film. Children were then exposed to a disappointing situation and asked to self-report on their CR after the disappointment task. As hypothesized, there was variability in level of CR use during the disappointment task. Contrary to hypothesis, children’s CR was not related to parent CR. Nor was the association between parent CR and child CR moderated by child baseline frontal EEG asymmetry, as hypothesized. Post-hoc analyses revealed that parent CR moderated the association between child baseline frontal EEG asymmetry and task-related frontal EEG asymmetry, such that children presenting with left frontal asymmetry at baseline and who had parents with higher CR showed left frontal asymmetry during the disappointment task. This was conceptualized as physiological regulation during an emotion event. Post-hoc analyses also revealed that children’s CR after the disappointment task was predicted by task-related frontal EEG asymmetry, as well as self-reports of ER strategies. I conclude that task-specific CR can be assessed in preadolescents but that much research is needed to determine the correlates of child use of CR during emotional situations.
Communication and attributions: The interrelations of parent and peer support, disclosure, and learned helpless attributions
Baldner, Conrad (Virginia Tech, 2011-03-04)
Previous research has shown benefits of adolescents' disclosure of activities to parents in reducing risk of deviant child behavior (Kerr & Stattin, 2000; Stattin & Kerr, 2000). In the current study I examine the effect of disclosure on learned helpless attributions, through the mediators of paternal, maternal, and peer support in sample of college undergraduates enrolled in psychology classes. In two online data collection points, participants completed measures on peer, paternal, and maternal support, disclosure, and negative attributions. In order to examine associations among these variables, I tested three general models: 1) disclosure would predict negative attributions through support, 2) support would predict negative attributions through disclosure, and 3) support would moderate the relations between disclosure and learned helpless attributions. Results demonstrated interrelations of disclosure with peer, maternal, and paternal support. Disclosure, peer support, and maternal support were negatively correlated with learned helpless attributions. However, the first and second models were not supported. The third model was partially supported in regard to maternal support. When maternal support was low, greater disclosure was associated with greater learned helpless attributions. Future longitudinal and experimental research is needed to further discern pathways of association for these constructs.
Comparing the Cognitive Mechanisms of False Memories with the Misinformation and DRM Paradigms
O'Neill, Meagan (Virginia Tech, 2017-06-16)
Many methodologies have been used to generate false memories, with the misinformation (MI) paradigm and the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm being the most commonly studied. The MI paradigm generates false memories based on retroactive interference across episodes, while the DRM paradigm generates false memories based on semantic similarities across stimuli. Since current research is ambiguous about whether the processes for different types of false memories are similar, the purpose of this project was to compare the neural mechanisms between MI and DRM false memories. We used a novel paradigm to limit methodological differences, while maintaining the defining characteristics of each paradigm. We made ERP predictions for false memories in both paradigms based on four current cognitive theories of false memories: fuzzy-trace theory, spreading activation/monitoring theory, global matching models, and source of activation confusion (SAC) model. We found no LPC, FN400, or N2 neural differences between the two types of false memories. This result is discussed in the context of the theories and the implications about our understanding of false memories. Our results support that there may not be mechanistic differences in false memory recollection when paradigms to produce the false memories are similar.
Constructing a Theory of Power-Relevant Dyadic Helping and Aggressing: A mixed-methods study
McCarty, Shane Michael (Virginia Tech, 2016-06-29)
Helping and aggressing behaviors are important to study in adolescence because they relate to adaptive and maladaptive developmental outcomes. These behaviors take place within the social context and their impact may be determined by the nature of the dyadic relationship between the agent and the recipient of the behavior. Relative power may be a critical aspect of dyadic relationships as evidenced by the research on bullying and related outcomes. However, a review of the helping and aggression literatures shows that relative power between agents and recipients of behavior has largely been neglected, perhaps because measurement approaches focus on individual tendencies over time rather than single behaviors at one point in time. I propose a theory that includes relative power as a critical dimension in the conceptualization of aggression and helping in dyadic interactions. I define dyadic interpersonal behavior based on two bipolar continua: impact (extremely beneficial impact [helping] through no impact to extremely harmful impact [aggressing]) and relative power imbalance between dyad members (lower-power through balanced-power to higher-power). In this dissertation, I tested whether my theory fits with adolescents' conceptualizations of helping and aggressing behavior in dyads using a mixed-methods approach. Focus group data collection occurred from two sessions with 13 and 11 adolescents in order to create gender-relevant and school-relevant vignettes of helping and aggressing behavior. Vignettes varied in intensity of impact (extremely beneficial, moderately beneficial, neutral, moderately harmful and extremely harmful), relative power between agent and recipient (i.e., high to high, low to low, high to low, and low to high power dyads), and power type (i.e., academic power and social power). The quantitative phase involved the rating of paired vignettes based on similarity by 203 students from the same high school as the focus group participants. Similarity scores were aggregated within gender and the type of power (academic or social). Multidimensional scaling (MDS) was used to test whether the proposed theory of power-relevant helping and aggressing is supported by adolescents' similarity ratings. The models of boys' interpersonal behaviors show three-dimensional solutions whereas those for girls reflect four-dimensional solutions. The first dimension of benefit and harm, which was proposed in my theory, emerged in all four sets of analyses (academic-boys; academic-girls; social-boys; social-girls). The secondary dimension proposed in the theory, relative power, only emerged for girls in regard to social power, as the fourth dimension in that solution. Qualitative analyses of focus group transcripts suggest that school atmosphere, power in the school, and bullying were primary themes salient in adolescents' thinking about helping and aggressing behavior. Relative power did not emerge as a theme or a concept in these qualitative analyses, suggesting that relative power is not a salient concept in adolescent thinking for helping and aggressing. Thus, neither quantitative nor qualitative analyses support the secondary dimension proposed in my theory. This mixed-methods study advances theory and research by: 1) demonstrating that adolescents conceptualize helping and aggressing as opposite ends of a single dimension at the behavioral level, 2) demonstrating that power at the individual level with a group referent and collective dyadic power are more salient than relative power in adolescents' perceptions of helping and aggressing behavior, and 3) situating the conceptualization and measurement of interpersonal behavior within the relational context.
Continuity of Behavioral Inhibition in Early Childhood: The Impact of Parental Attitudes toward Socially Inhibited Behavior
Horsch, Laura Marie (Virginia Tech, 2006-11-27)
Although behavioral inhibition has been found to be relatively stable, such stability has not always been shown. Moreover, although an association between parental shyness and child behavioral inhibition has been reported, this relationship is imperfect and indirect. The present study proposed that one factor that may impact these relationships is the attitudes parents hold toward having a shy, inhibited child. Although shyness is typically regarded as a negative and maladaptive trait, it is not necessarily viewed as problematic by all parents. The present study investigated a series of ten specific hypotheses that centered around the notion that variations in parental attitudes toward shyness may lead some parents to encourage and other parents to discourage behaviors typically associated with shyness in their young children. Using a longitudinal design, the present study examined the relations among the constructs of parental attitudes toward shyness, child behavioral inhibition, childrearing strategies, and parental shyness over a span of two years in a sample of 3 to 6 year-old children and their parents. Results revealed several interesting and valuable findings. Maternal attitudes toward shyness emerged as a moderator of the relationship between behavioral inhibition at Time 1 and Time 2. Maternal attitudes toward shyness also emerged as a significant moderator of the relationship between maternal shyness and child behavioral inhibition. However, childrearing strategies did not mediate the relationship between maternal attitudes toward shyness and behavioral inhibition in children as predicted.
Cross-Cultural Differences in the Determinants of Maternal Emotion Coaching: Role of Maternal Emotional Awareness and Emotion Regulation
Tan, Lin (Virginia Tech, 2017-04-28)
Despite many positive outcomes associated with emotion coaching, factors related to individual differences in emotion coaching have yet to be explored. The current study examined cultural differences in the role of maternal characteristics, specifically emotional awareness and emotion regulation, as determinants of emotion coaching. These findings will facilitate culturally desired emotion socialization practices leading to optimal emotional development of children. In the current study, I translated two English-based questionnaires into Chinese to assess maternal emotional awareness and emotion coaching. Next, I examined relations of reappraisal, suppression, and emotional awareness to maternal emotion coaching. I also investigated the role of maternal emotional awareness as a mediator in the relation of maternal use of reappraisal and suppression to maternal emotion coaching in both Chinese and American cultures. Participants included American (n=164) and 163 Chinese (n=163) mothers. Maternal emotional awareness was measured using subscales of Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20 and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Emotion regulation strategies were assessed using Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. To measure emotion coaching, mothers completed Parents' Beliefs about Children's Emotions questionnaire. Structural equation models were estimated to examine how maternal emotional awareness and emotion regulation related to emotion coaching. Results confirmed the reliability and validity of the Chinese questionnaires. Maternal emotion coaching did not include mothers' views about negative emotions because equivalence could not be established across Chinese and American cultures; therefore, the emotion coaching discussed in this study is different from previous research on emotion coaching that typically involves responses to negative emotions. Maternal emotional awareness was associated with their emotion coaching in both samples and the strength of the association was not different across cultures. However, relations of reappraisal and suppression to emotional awareness and emotion coaching were different across Chinese and American samples. Emotional awareness mediated the relation of reappraisal to emotion coaching only in the American sample. Additionally, emotional awareness was a mediator of the relation of suppression to emotion coaching in both samples. Overall, the findings of this study supported that maternal emotional awareness and use of emotion regulation strategies are important determinants of maternal emotion coaching in both cultures.
Cultural Factors in the Dysregulation of Shame and Embarrassment: Emotions in Social Anxiety and Taijin Kyofusho
Noguchi, Ryoichi John Paul (Virginia Tech, 2011-04-20)
The present study examined the role of emotion regulation (ER) in individuals who endorsed social anxiety symptoms found in taijin kyofusho (TKS) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) in a young adult sample. More specifically, the study sought to examine the role of self-conscious emotions of shame and embarrassment with respect to TKS and SAD. Participants were administered a series of questionnaires during the first phase of the study and, during the second phase, a diagnostic clinical interview and additional questionnaires were administered along with an experimental social evaluative task and recording of electrical cardiac impulses. Descriptively, social anxiety symptoms were expected to be associated with less adaptive ER strategies. Additionally, differences between individuals who endorsed TKS and SAD symptoms were expected such that TKS would be associated more so with shame and SAD with embarrassment. It was hypothesized that ER would mediate the relationship between embarrassment and shame and their hypothesized anxiety counterparts (SAD or TKS). Findings revealed an association between shame and TKS, and embarrassment and SAD. However, less adaptive ER strategies were not related to social anxiety symptoms and ER did not mediate the relationship between self-conscious emotions and social anxiety. The present findings suggest that shame and embarrassment can play a role in the clinical manifestations of SAD and TKS. Implications regarding the role of these emotions and ER were examined.
Development and Feasibility of an Online Brief Emotion Regulation Training (BERT) Program for Emerging Adults
Gatto, Alyssa Jo; Elliott, Truitt J.; Briganti, Jonathan S.; Stamper, Michael J.; Porter, Nathaniel D.; Brown, Anne M.; Harden, Samantha M.; Cooper, Lee D.; Dunsmore, Julie C. (Frontiers, 2022-06-10)
Mental wellness is a critical component of healthy development in emerging adulthood and serves to protect against stress and promote resilience against psychopathology. Emotion regulation is a key mechanism for effective prevention because of its role in socio-emotional competence and its transdiagnostic significance for psychopathology. In this feasibility study, a brief, time and cost-effective emotion regulation training program for emerging adults (BERT) was developed and tested using the RE-AIM framework. Importantly, building interventions within the context of an implementation framework, such as the RE-AIM framework, enhances the chances that an intervention will be able to scale out and scale up. First, the brainwriting premortem method was utilized to refine program content, conducting focus groups a priori to identify potential program failures prior to program implementation. Undergraduate students (n = 12) attended four focus groups presenting initial program content. Four clinicians were also interviewed to determine program barriers. Qualitative analyses aggregated participant feedback to identify compliments, changes, and concerns about BERT and critical feedback was immediately implemented prior to initial testing. BERT was rooted in cognitive-behavioral practices and informed by the Gross model of emotion regulation. The 5-week program was then examined in a college sample (N = 42) to evaluate implementation (low attrition, high content engagement, favorable attitudes, low incidence of technical errors, costs), reach (enrollment and completion demographics comparable to the population in which recruitment took place), and efficacy (positive change in emotion regulation pre- to post-program). Of the recruited participants, 36 remained in the study where 27 completed at least 80% of program content. Repeated-measures ANOVAs exhibited significant improvements in emotion regulation, psychological distress, and negative affectivity, suggesting promising initial efficacy. Initial data provide support for feasibility and a future randomized control trial. BERT has potential significance for promoting healthy development as its brief electronic format reduced barriers and the program development process incorporated stakeholder feedback at multiple levels to inform better implementation and dissemination.
Development and Preliminary Testing of an Online Brief Emotion Regulation Training (BERT) Program for Emerging Adults
Gatto, Alyssa Jo (Virginia Tech, 2022-07-21)
Mental wellness is a critical component of healthy development and serves as a way to protect against stress and promote resilience against psychopathology. Emerging adulthood is an important time to foster mental wellness as individuals adjust to changing social roles, such as transitioning to college. Emotion regulation is a key mechanism for effective prevention because of its role in socio-emotional competence and its transdiagnostic significance for psychopathology. In this dissertation study, a brief, time and cost-effective emotion regulation training program for emerging adults (BERT) was developed and tested. Phase 1 focused on program development. Phase 2 utilized the brainwriting premortem method to refine program content. Undergraduate students (n = 12) attended four focus groups presenting initial program content. Four clinicians were also interviewed to determine program barriers. Qualitative analyses aggregated participant feedback to identify compliments, changes, and concerns about BERT in preparation for the pilot, and critical feedback was immediately implemented. In Phase 3, the 5-week program was pilot-tested in a college sample (N = 42) to evaluate Implementation (low attrition, high content engagement, favorable attitudes, low incidence of technical errors, costs), Reach (enrollment and completion demographics comparable to the population in which recruitment took place), and Efficacy (positive change in emotion regulation pre- to post-program). Twenty-seven participants completed at least 80% of program content. Chi-square analyses did not show any significant difference between participants who started the study and those who dropped out. Repeated measures ANOVAs exhibited significant improvements in emotion regulation, psychological distress, anxiety, stress, negative affectivity, and quality of life, suggesting promising initial efficacy. Development of BERT has high potential significance for promoting healthy development because the electronic delivery and brief nature of the program will reduce barriers to adoption and Implementation and the program development process that incorporates stakeholder feedback at multiple levels is expected to improve program Reach and Efficacy. The program development process, which incorporates stakeholder feedback at multiple levels, informs better implementation and dissemination.
Development and Testing of a Primary Tier Social Skills Program: Effects for Children with Exceptionalities
Ostmeyer-Kountzman, Katrina Francine (Virginia Tech, 2014-06-12)
School-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS), a tiered prevention model targeted at making educational environments safe and effective, is swiftly gaining popularity in the United States (Brandt, Chitiyo, May, 2012). This model aims to teach prosocial behavior through positively stated rules and expectations; however, there is little research examining social skills instruction using a tiered model (Schoenfield, Rutherford, Gable, Rock, 2008). This is of considerable concern for children with autism spectrum (ASD) and related social disorders as educators attempt to address the social needs of these students within a SWPBS framework (Sansoti, 2010). The current study aimed to begin exploration into the topic of a tiered social skills training framework for children with autism spectrum and related social/behavioral disorders and their typically developing peers by initial implementation and testing of a primary tier social skills program through the use of a mixed model research design. The program was implemented in two classrooms (1 preschool and 1 kindergarten) in southwest Virginia. A mixed-method research study was conducted to determine whether the program leads to improved classroom environment, improved social functioning for children with ASD or social difficulties (n=8), what qualities of children, teachers, and classrooms affect implementation and results, and what additional changes or elements need to be provided to implement the program without the aid of a researcher. While quantitative results failed to yield significant findings, qualitative results partially supported the use of the program. While the initial results were small to insignificant, they point to important considerations for further refinement of the program.
Dichos and Consejos, Ethnic Identity, and Emotion Socialization in Latina Mothers
Perez Rivera, Marie Belle (Virginia Tech, 2010-05-12)
Dichos and consejos, the messages passed on intergenerationally within Latino communities, are an influential aspect of Latino culture. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between ethnic identity and Latina mothers' interpretations of dichos/ consejos. I also investigated if and how ethnic identity and/ or interpretations of dichos and consejos predicted Latina mothers' emotion socialization beliefs and behaviors. Further, I explored whether maternal education was associated with ethnic identity, interpretations of dichos/consejos, and emotion socialization. Forty Latina mothers of daughters aged 4 – 12 years participated by completing questionnaires on their demographics, ethnic identity, and emotion socialization beliefs and behaviors. Mothers also engaged in a 15-minute interview to assess their interpretations of dichos and consejos. Correlations showed that ethnic identity was not significantly related to interpretations of dichos/consejos. Both ethnic identity and traditionality in helpful dichos were associated with stronger belief that emotions can be dangerous, which in turn was related to both supportive and non-supportive reactions to daughters' negative emotions. Mothers with less education reported stronger beliefs that emotions can be dangerous, more supportive and non-supportive reactions to daughters' negative emotions, and greater likelihood of using more traditional non-helpful dichos to advise other mothers. Regression analyses demonstrated that ethnic identity predicted mothers' belief that emotions can be dangerous even after controlling for maternal education and number of children in the family. After controlling for maternal education, there was a trend for mothers who passed on more traditional non-helpful dichos to their daughters to react in less supportive ways to their daughters' negative emotions. Results suggest that understanding Latina women's ethnic identity and social location will be helpful for researchers and educators seeking to assess and promote culturally sensitive emotion socialization practices.
Differing Religious Motivations are associated with Adolescent Health Behavior through Self-regulation
Holmes, Christopher Joseph (Virginia Tech, 2014-04-30)
Previous literature has widely demonstrated the physical and mental benefits of religiousness. However, how religiousness benefits health is not as well known. It has been proposed that self-regulation is the linking mechanism and the current study sought to confirm this theory. Furthermore, religious motivation has been found to have differential effects on a variety of outcomes. The current study hypothesized that higher identification as religious motivation is linked to higher health-promoting behavior and lower health-risk behavior through higher self-regulation, which was composed of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive regulation. It was also hypothesized that higher introjection as religious motivation is linked to lower health-promoting behavior and higher health-risk behavior through lower self-regulation. The current sample included 220 adolescents (mean age = 15 years, 55% male) and their primary caregivers. This study's findings clarified that the motivation to be religious is critical when considering health benefits as it predicts health outcomes distinctly from only religiousness in general and self-regulation mediates this relation. Specifically, higher identification was related to higher self-regulation and subsequently lower health-risk behavior, whereas introjection was linked to lower self-regulation and subsequently higher health-risk behavior. However, when health-promoting behaviors, such as exercise or brushing teeth, were considered, the relation did not exist. In addition, non-significant interaction effects between identification and introjection indicated that these effects are only additive in nature. The current findings are particularly important by providing information about protective factors for risk taking behavior during adolescence, a developmental period associated with greater risk taking behavior.

Browsing by Author "Dunsmore, Julie C."

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