Doctoral Dissertations

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Adolescent Trauma Treatment in Integrated Primary Care: A Modified Delphi Study
Stephen Premo, Jessica Lynee (Virginia Tech, 2019-06-21)
Early stressors like trauma can lead to developmental changes that have life-long negative health consequences (Merikangas et al., 2010; Anda et al., 2006). Approximately 1 in 4 youth experience substantial trauma during their developmental years (Merikangas et al., 2010; Duke, Pettingell, McMorris, and Borowsky, 2010). Such findings suggest the need for early intervention and treatment for adolescents exposed to traumatic events and adversity. Ideally, adolescents could be treated within primary care settings where parents overwhelmingly seek services for their children. Primary care settings are sought out at a 94% to 97% rate of services as compared to only a 4% to 33% rate of parents seeking out mental health services (Guevara et al., 2001). Unfortunately, no adolescent trauma-informed interventions have yet been adapted for use in primary care (Glowa, Olson, and Johnson, 2016). This study aimed to fill this critical gap between adolescent mental health issues associated with trauma and adverse childhood experiences and the lack of treatment in integrated primary care settings. The need for trauma-informed treatment for adolescents who have experienced trauma and adverse experiences is especially salient as evidence-based treatment for adolescents in this setting is limited. A modified Delphi approach was employed to address this gap in the research. Two rounds of questionnaires and focus groups were utilized with a panel of experts and youth stakeholders to gain consensus on treatment recommendations. Ultimately, expert panelists and youth stakeholders identified 59 recommendations for adolescent trauma treatment to be delivered in integrated primary care settings.
Antecedents and Consequences of Parent Technology Use in Parents of Young Children
Devine, Diana Michelle (Virginia Tech, 2024-01-10)
The availability of and access to technology has been steadily increasing in recent years. Especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology use in some form is almost a daily occurrence in the United States (Vargo et al., 2021). A growing body of work has been examining familial technoference, which include interruptions to family interactions due to technology use, and a sub-focus of this research has specifically focused on parent-child relationships and technological interruptions. Using a comprehensive theoretical approach including an update to the process model of parenting (Belsky, 1984; Taraban and Shaw, 2018) and support from both attachment theory (Ainsworth et al., 1978; Bowlby, 1969) and ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1977; Bronfenbrenner and Ceci, 1994), the current research examined the role of technology in parent-child interactions with parents of two-year-old children. In Study 1, constructs of parental technoference were explored in parents of children between 24-26 months of age to evaluate latent factors of parent technology use from 60 indicators and to identify parent and family characteristics that might predict the factors of technology use. A nationally recruited online sample of 323 parents of two-year-old children completed a set of questionnaires online to examine constructs of parental technology use and predictors of those constructs for Study 1. A CFA was conducted to evaluate the model fit of multiple indicators of parent technology use loading onto four predicted latent factors: Problematic Technology Use, Technoference with Child and Family, Social Support through Technology, and Technology Use as Regulation. The hypothesized model had poor fit, and an Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted. In the final model, only 35 indicators emerged as significant factors to be included in the final model to map onto five latent constructs: Missing Out due to Technology, Problematic Technology Behaviors, Preoccupation with Technology, Positive Parenting through Technology, and Social Support through Technology. The final latent constructs parsed apart the predicted Problematic Technology Use into distinct constructs of thought (Preoccupation with Technology), behavior (Problematic Technology Behaviors), and consequence (Missing Out due to Technology), while items from the predicted Technoference with Child and Family mapped onto the more general Missing Out due to Technology (in various contexts, not just that within the family). Items from the predicted Technology Use as Regulation and Social Support through Technology mapped closely onto the Positive Parenting through Technology and Social Support through Technology constructs, respectively, albeit with fewer significant factor loadings than predicted. Next, predictors of the latent constructs (perceived stress, social support, parenting satisfaction, parenting self-efficacy, and both parent and child effortful control) were examined. SEM was conducted to determine predictors of these constructs of technology use. Perceived stress was a significant predictor of all five latent constructs. Parenting self-efficacy was a significant predictor of Problematic Technology Behaviors, Positive Parenting through Technology, and Social Support through Technology. Parenting satisfaction was a significant predictor of Problematic Technology Behaviors, Preoccupation with Technology, Positive Parenting through Technology, and Social Support through Technology. Social support was not a significant predictor of any latent constructs. Parent self-regulation was a significant predictor of Missing Out due to Technology and Positive Parenting through Technology. Child self-regulation was a significant predictor of Preoccupation with Technology, Positive Parenting through Technology, and Social Support through Technology. These findings demonstrate that there are distinct patterns of parental technology use that are differentially related to parent and family characteristics. This insight into characteristics that are associated with distinct types of technology use can be helpful in the development of targeted intervention for parents seeking to change their technology use behaviors. In Study 2, the impacts of parent technology use on parent behavior during parent-child interactions were examined through a repeated measures analysis of variance (RMANOVA) and Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM). In a randomized experimental design, 57 primary caregivers of 30–36-month-old children participated in three 5-minute free play sessions with their child in these conditions: control (no technology), television, and smartphone. Parent engagement with technology was scored in each condition, as well as parental sensitivity and involvement. First, RMANOVAs were conducted to explore differences in proportions of parent involvement with child play by condition and mean differences in parental sensitivity. There were significant differences in proportions of levels of parent involvement by condition; however, there were no differences in mean levels of parent sensitivity by condition. Due to a significant interaction between proportions of levels of involvement and order of condition, an HLM was conducted to control for change over time and isolate influences of condition on parent behavior. When time was controlled, there was significant negative effect of TV and a significant negative effect of smartphones on parental involvement. Overall, the findings from Study 2 demonstrated that caregivers are less involved with child play when technology is present, and especially so when smartphones are involved. Though there was not an overall effect of technology on caregiver sensitivity, further analysis did reveal that caregivers who attended to technology did have lower sensitivity scores than caregivers who did not attend to technology. The findings from this study replicate prior experimental work examining the role of background TV on caregiver-child interactions and extend findings to include the negative effect of smartphones on caregiver-child interactions. Together, the two studies provide further insight into parental technology use, understanding both antecedents and consequences of parent technology use in contribution to the overall knowledge of the mechanisms through which parent technology use relates to parenting and parent-child interactions. The findings from these studies combined can be used to develop targeted interventions for caregivers who are interested in making decisions about technology use within their families that are aligned with healthy developmental outcomes.
Appalachian Church Leaders: An IPA Study to Understand Their Experiences with Substance Misuse
Thomas, Michael Evan (Virginia Tech, 2020-03-06)
The region of Appalachia in the United States is a diverse region that is full of beauty, mountains, art, and culture. Due to a history of abuse from large corporations, the impact of the decline in coal mining and generational poverty, the region is currently on a road toward recovery. Substance misuse rates are disproportionality high, and there are limited resources available to address the issue. Literature suggests that church leaders may be a potential resource. The goal of the study was to provide a better understanding of the substance misuse epidemic through the eyes of church leaders. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis guided this qualitative study. Church leaders (n = 10) were interviewed and four significant themes emerged: narratives used to describe their experiences with substance misuse, the stigma associated with substance misuse, the community impact that substance misuse has on Appalachia, and the lack of understanding and need for training on substance misuse for church leaders and healthcare practitioners. The results of the study are discussed and connected to discussions of the implications for clinical practice, recommendations for further research, and limitations of the study.
The Association between Early Care and Education and Midlife Outcomes: The Abecedarian 5th Decade Follow-up
Sonnier-Netto, Mary Elizabeth (Virginia Tech, 2018-04-26)
This dissertation focuses on the midlife adjustment of individuals from a longitudinal study in its 5th decade of follow-up. The Abecedarian Project, a prospective randomized control trial (RCT), began in 1972 with the primary goal of preventing cognitive impairments and school failure in children born into impoverished families with multiple risk factors by randomly assigning 111 infants to either an early education (n = 57) or control group (n = 54). This dissertation reports midlife outcomes at ages 39 – 45 for 42 individuals who received the early education treatment and 36 who were controls. This dissertation focuses on two primary hypotheses within a twojournal manuscript format. The first primary hypothesis of this dissertation is that the Abecedarian early education intervention will increase the number of successful outcomes over the lifespan, showing the cumulative effect of positive experiences (Sameroff, 2009) and a sense of personal efficacy (Dweck, 2008; Seeman, 1959). The second primary hypothesis of this dissertation is that response contingent learning and being an active agent in early cognitive and social settings during the first five years of life will provide a strong foundation for future perceptions of control over important areas in one’s life (Furnham & Steele, 1993; Walden & Ramey, 1983; Wallston, Wallston, & DeVellis, 1978). The analysis of midlife indices of strength and risk reveal results favoring the treatment group compared to the controls on both the Midlife Strengths Index (F (1,76) = 15.85, p = .000) and the Midlife Risk Index (F (1,76 = 8.88, p = .004). Additionally, a significant interaction exists between group assignment and IQ at age 48 months for the Midlife Strengths Index (β = -.215, p < .05). Analyses of Locus of Control scales reveal that the control group reports “powerful others” have more influence on both their health behaviors (F (1, 76) = 3.962, p = .05) on the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale and their economic behaviors (F (1, 76) = 5.146, p = .026) within the Economic Locus of Control Scale. Additionally, the control group reported more external economic locus of control than the treatment group with a marginal statistical significance (F (1, 76) = 3.359, p = .071). Results are consistent with the conclusion for children born into multi-risk, economically impoverished families there are lifelong benefits of receiving high-quality early care and education that extend into the midlife years.
Bisexual Relationships: Investigating the Impact of Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality on Relationship Satisfaction Among Female Same-Gender Couples
Nedela, Mary Rachel (Virginia Tech, 2020-01-30)
Bisexual individuals experience negativity toward their identities from heterosexual as well as gay and lesbian individuals. While there is a large body of research on the negative mental health consequences due to bi-negativity among individuals who identify as bisexual, little research exists exploring the relational impacts of bi-negativity. Informed by symbolic interaction theory and minority stress theory, this study investigated the impacts of attitudes regarding bisexuality on relationship satisfaction in female same-gender couples with at least one bisexual-identified individual through the following research questions: (a) How, if at all, do the attitudes toward bisexuality of individual partners influence perceptions of relationship satisfaction? and (b) How do partners negotiate the influence of attitudes toward bisexuality on their relationship? To address these questions, data from semi-structured interviews of eight female same-gender couples were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory methodology. Findings indicated that couples moved through a process of the following: pre-relationship factors, relationship formation, relational emotion work, and shared relational meaning. Couples additionally are influenced in each phase of the process by macrosystemic oppressions. Clinical implications to assist mental health professionals better serve these couples were determined.
Characteristics of Residential Adult Learning in the FBI National Academy Learning Environment and the Impact on Participant's Attitude of Satisfaction
Christenberry, Thomas Catron (Virginia Tech, 2004-09-15)
Using the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) 212 th session of the National Academy, a residential adult learning environment, as a case study and the 1996 research on participant's perception of residential adult learning environments by Dr. Jean Anderson Fleming, this study examined the relationship among the characteristics (overarching themes: detachment and continuity and descriptive themes: building relationships in residence, learning in residence, and individual change in residence) and how this relationship impacts the participant's attitude of satisfaction with the program. A 33-item Likert scale, developed by the researcher, was used to collect the data from 244 police officers and the Kropp-Verner Attitude Scale was used for measuring the overall participant attitude of satisfaction with the residential learning environment. Demographic data were also collected from the participants to provide an overall profile of the respondents and each police officer had the opportunity to respond to an open-ended question at the end of the survey. Six hypotheses formed the basis of the study and were investigated through bivariate and multivariate analysis. Univariate analysis was used to describe and summarize the collected demographic data, as well as the frequency responses to each statement by the participants, while multivariate analysis was used to determine the best model for the prediction of satisfaction. Positive relationships existed between each of the five independent variables (detachment, continuity, building relationships in residence, learning in residence, and individual change in residence) and the dependent variable, satisfaction. The overarching themes of detachment and continuity were combined to form a new variable, DECONTI. Individually, (bivariate regression) DECONTI was the most significant predictor of satisfaction, while building relationships in residence exhibited no significance. Multivariate analysis (standard and stepwise regression) suggested that the model of DECONTI, learning in residence, and individual change was the best predictor of satisfaction. The analysis of the characteristics of residential adult learning environments and their impact on participant satisfaction was quantitatively supported in this study. The results of this study supported the assertions of Fleming, the literature, and the research questions, while offering new observations and insights into the effectiveness of residential adult learning environments.
A Daily Diary Investigation of the Impact of Flexible Work Arrangements on Physical Activity Among University Staff
Borowski, Shelby (Virginia Tech, 2019-06-07)
The goal of this investigation was to examine personal and environmental factors that may influence levels of daily physical activity in a sample of university staff employees who use flexible work arrangements (flextime or telework). Our first aim was to investigate the link between self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and flexible work arrangements on daily physical activity. Our second aim was to investigate the link between work stress, job burnout, work-to-family conflict and flexible work arrangements on physical activity. Lastly, we investigated if the use of flexible work arrangements buffered the relationship between barriers, as well as job burnout, on physical activity. University staff employees who worked full-time, currently used a flexible work arrangement, lived with at least one family member were eligible to participate. Using a daily diary design, data were collected from 61 university staff employees. Participants completed an initial survey followed by daily diaries over the course of one workweek, resulting in 281 diary days. Data were analyzed with multilevel negative binomial models. Daily barriers and use of flextime were associated with lower physical activity. Self-efficacy, telework, work stress, and work-to-family conflict were not significantly associated with daily physical activity. Flexible work arrangements did not moderate the association between barriers and physical activity. However, flextime moderated the association between job burnout and physical activity. Individuals with high job burnout engaged in more physical activity on flextime days compared to non-flexible workdays. Implications regarding physical activity, flexible work arrangements, and workplace wellness programs are discussed.
Emotional Intimacy in Transition: Interpersonal Processes in Transgender-Cisgender Romantic Relationships
Smithee, Lauren (Virginia Tech, 2021-06-17)
Relationships in which one partner is transgender are disproportionately challenging compared to other LGBQ+ relationships (Gamarel et al., 2014; Pulice-Farrow et al., 2017). While research has yet to examine how transgender-cisgender couples experience emotional intimacy, it is theorized that this process may be critical for relationship health during gender transition. This study explored how transgender-cisgender couples experience emotional intimacy during their transition process. Symbolic interactionism was used to examine the questions: (1) How do perceptions of couple emotional intimacy influence how each partner assigns meaning to their experiences with transitioning? and (2) How do partners communicate about their emotional experiences during their transition process? Constructivist grounded theory was used to analyze individual interviews with 20 transgender and cisgender participants (ten couples) using group-level analysis. The process model that emerged from the data indicated that transgender and cisgender partners experienced emotional tensions internally and within their relationships as they created meaning from their experiences with transitioning. Tensions created pathways for partners to emotionally withdraw from or engage in communication about their experiences. Communication processes ebbed and flowed as partners created meaning for their relationship in transition. When couples engaged in communication, they created shared meaning about their experiences and strengthened emotional intimacy. Data revealed that these processes of building and sustaining emotional intimacy were interactional and iterative. Recommendations for research and clinical work with these couples are provided, in light of these findings.
An Examination of the Nature and Experience of Community Collaboration in Extension Education for At-Risk Populations in Virginia
Board, Barbara A. (Virginia Tech, 2005-04-27)
For several decades, a growing realization has evolved that a single entity often cannot address complex issues. Collaboration has been touted as an effective approach to addressing such issues and is generally defined as multiple parties jointly identifying problems, developing a shared vision for addressing those problems, and sharing resources and responsibilities for a determined solution. In spite of the growing literature regarding collaboration, the predominant focus has been on advocacy, leaving a void in the literature concerning the processes and behaviors involved in establishing community collaboration. In essence, the importance of collaboration is widely recognized; how to collaborate is not as noted. Therefore, it is essential to examine the experience of community collaboration. The purpose of this study was to investigate a collaborative community experience in the context of extension education for children, youth, and families at risk in four localities in Virginia. The following research questions were addressed: a) What has been the nature and experience of collaboration for Extension Leadership councils (ELCs) involved with children, youth, and families at risk (CYFAR) projects; b) What has contributed to successful collaboration in Extension education with the CYFAR projects; and c) What have been the challenges to collaboration for the CYFAR projects? The qualitative case study design utilized in-depth face-to-face interviews with seventeen community representatives in the selected localities involved in the experience. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcriptions were analyzed to determine themes, patterns, and common ways of thinking. Findings, which revealed that ELCs were primarily involved in situation analysis, illuminated the following perceived contributions to successful collaboration: having a process for involvement, addressing a need, commitment of those involved, leadership, and paid staff. Challenges to collaboration were identified as lack of time to commit, lack of understanding of collaboration, and pre-existing ways of thinking and acting. The results have implications for Cooperative Extension understanding how ELC involvement can occur in programming and the collaborative nature of their educational process with the community. The findings will also contribute to human service providers' understanding of contributions and challenges to collaboration and to the emerging body of knowledge on collaboration.
Examining the relationship among context, cognition, and conflict management in the workplace
Nussbaum, Barbara B. (Virginia Tech, 2009-02-27)
Conflict is a component of interpersonal interactions, neither inevitable nor innately bad, but often commonplace (Deutsch & Coleman, 2000; Schellenberg, 1996). Conflict interactions that occur in the workplace can impact individuals, relationships, and the organization as a whole. This experimental study was framed from a contingency perspective to examine the extent to which specific contextual variables of a workplace conflict would influence participant responses in that interaction. During the study, 389 individuals responded to an online questionnaire containing a description of a hypothetical workplace conflict interaction with one level of three manipulated context variables (i.e., conflict type, verb abstraction level, and sex of parties). The context variables were hypothesized to influence participants' responses that included attitudes toward the interaction, subjective norms, appraisals of personal control and external control, and attributions of the locus of causality. This cognitive set of variables was hypothesized to explain respondents' behavioral intentions in that conflict. The four conflict behavioral intentions used in this study were control, nonconfrontation, compromise, and integrate. Analyses of the data included multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), canonical correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression. The results of MANOVA were that context had modest effects on cognition and behavioral intention, examined in separate analyses. The conflict type, using a task versus relationship categorization, appeared to be the most salient of the context variables having effects on many of the cognitive measures in this study. Two other contextual variables, sex of conflict initiator and abstraction level of the verbs used to describe the conflict scenario had statistically significant results, but much lesser effects. The sex of the respondent played a minimal role in a statistically significant 3-way interaction with abstraction-level and sex of initiator. The cognitive variables together explained 29% of the variance in the set of conflict behavioral intentions using canonical correlation analysis. When the data were analyzed with hierarchical multiple regression, the context and cognitive variables explained statistically significant proportions of the variance in each behavioral intention that ranged from 7% (of control), 15% (of nonconfrontation), 19% (of compromise), to 20% (of integrate). Different patterns of context and cognitive variables influenced each of the conflict behavioral intentions. These findings present a challenge to hold two ideas together, the context and the individual, in future research and current practice. The results of this study lend support to a contingency perspective that aspects of the context, when salient to a party in the conflict, will have effects on participant responses in that interaction.
Family Experiences of Single Sexual Minority Women from the Baby Boom
Lavender-Stott, Erin Suzanne (Virginia Tech, 2018-04-30)
Most individuals spend more than half their lives as single due to divorce, widowhood, and remaining single (Simpson, 2016). Singlehood, in general, has meant not being in a heterosexual relationship. Historically, lesbian women have been considered single because their relationships were not legally recognized. Single women and lesbian women have had more choices to live outside heterosexual marriage, financially and with social acceptability, in the later portion of the 20th century and in the early 21st century than previously. Single sexual minority women of the baby boom came of age during this time and are beginning to plan for and enter into old age. This study used qualitative methods to study how single sexual minority women of the baby boom cohort defined family and planned for their later years. Women from the baby boom cohort who are currently single and identify as a sexual minority were connected to their family of origin and extended families in their youth, focused on romantic relationships during adulthood, and currently identify their family as biological and chosen family. The women had formal and informal plans for their future as they continue to age. Limitations, future directions, and implications are also discussed.
Family Processes in Family Group Chats
Resor, Jessica M. (Virginia Tech, 2021-09-28)
Family group chats are a popular form of technology-mediated communication. Family group chats represent an understudied area of family communication. In this qualitative multi-method study, I aimed to investigate how and why families use family group chats and how family processes are enacted within them. This grounded theory study was informed by family systems theory and uses and gratifications theory. Families participated in multi family member group interviews and were invited to submit the last one-month's history of their family group chat. Forty-nine participants from thirteen families across the United States participated in this study. I identified four themes from the data: (1) entering the chat, (2) growing and aging with the group chat, (3) accepting terms and conditions, and (4) holding the invisible string. I present a theoretical explanation of how these themes interact. Family group chats held a significant place in family life that extended family members' availability to one another and kept them in near constant contact, even when they were separated by geographic distance. I propose the possibility of family group chats as a protective factor to increase family functioning. This research generates future directions for the field and has implications for families, professionals who work with families, and group chat application developers. It provides one of the earliest investigations into family group chats from a family science perspective.
Grandfamilies and Grandchild Adverse Childhood Experiences: An Examination of Service Needs, Utilization, and Best Practices
Stucki, Bradford David (Virginia Tech, 2022-05-31)
Grandfamilies, or families in which grandparents are raising their grandchildren, often form due to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) experienced by the grandchildren. ACEs have been linked to multiple negative short- and long-term behavioral and emotional consequences for children. Yet, having an ACE history does not guarantee negative outcomes, as protective factors such as positive relationships with a safe and caring adult, healthy family functioning, and utilization of formal services can mitigate the negative effects of ACEs. Researchers have regularly called on families to seek timely intervention and services for ACEs; however, many grandparents raising grandchildren report negative interactions with service providers as well as service delivery. Limited research has explored the extent to which grandfamilies with ACEs may have experienced similar interactions while seeking and using formal services. Guided by Andersen's (1995) Behavioral Model of Health Service Use, this qualitative study sought to explore (1) the service needs of grandchildren with an ACE history who are being raised by their grandparents; (2) the service needs of grandparents raising grandchildren with an ACE history; (3) the process of seeking services when grandparents raising a grandchild with an ACE history look for services for their grandchild; and (4) best practices for delivering services to grandfamilies with an ACE history. The research questions were primarily addressed through via interviewing 10 grandparents from Central Appalachia who were raising a grandchild with an ACE history and by conducting two focus groups of 8 to 12 formal service providers with experience working with grandparents raising grandchildren with an ACE history. Interview data were analyzed using grounded theory and focus group data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Study findings indicated that grandchildren have emotional and developmental needs. Grandparents described needs related to the emotional impact of raising a grandchild with an ACE history, family and parent involvement, and parenting a grandchild with an ACE history. Study results also highlighted how grandparents can expect to encounter barriers throughout the service seeking and delivery process. Study results also highlighted the critical nature of having a strong relationship with a service provider and the importance of a service provider reducing barriers, being attentive to grandfamily needs, and involving the grandparent in the treatment process. Finally, results from the focus groups revealed best practices such as providing grandparents with education on ACEs, being aware of intergenerational ACE cycles, and engaging in assessment and intervention when working with this population. Implications for clinical practice as well as directions for future research are discussed.
Having 'The Talk': Parents' Decision Making Related to Communication with Children about Sex
Murray, Michelle Marie (Virginia Tech, 2024-06-25)
Parent-child communication about sex is widely understood to be important to sexual health and wellness of adolescents and young adults. Though parents report wanting to communicate with their children comprehensively, adolescents often report this communication does not meet their needs. This study uses symbolic interactionism to explore how parents understand and make meaning of family communication about sex and how these meanings influence their decision making when it comes to family communication about sex. Eight couples participated in an observed development of plans to communicate with their children about sex and semi-structured dyadic interviews about their decision-making process. Transcriptions of the observational data and interviews were analyzed alongside the written plans developed during data collection using grounded theory methodology. Parents recognized communication with their children about sex to be an important opportunity to keep their children safe and prevent negative experiences while instilling values that will help children make healthy decisions. Rather than prescribing specific topics of conversation and times to communicate with them, parents focused on fostering strong relationships with their children and shared they would allow their kids to direct conversations. They identified clear goals for communication with their children about sex, but hoped to do things differently than their own parents by being open to questions their children bring up and addressing issues as they arise.
Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Type 1 Diabetes: The Role of Family Environment, Parental Perceived Social Support, and Children's Coping
Williams, Isha D. (Virginia Tech, 2018-07-16)
Children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes face lifetime issues that will affect their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). These challenges require varied coping skills to manage the disease and a commitment to find ways to increase HRQoL. It was proposed that children’s general coping styles would be mediators in both the relation of family environment and children’s health-related quality of life and the relation of parental perceived social support and children’s health-related quality of life in children aged 8-16 with Type 1 diabetes. Age was also proposed to be a moderator in the relation of children’s coping to their health-related quality of life. Children aged 8 to 16 and their primary caregivers (N = 56) were recruited to participate in the study at a university hospital tertiary care clinic. Children completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0 Diabetes Module for children and adolescents (PedsQL 3.0) and the Children’s Coping Strategies Checklist-Revision 1. Primary caregivers completed the PedsQL 3.0 for parents, the Family Environment Scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Regression analyses were used to identify a model that explained the contribution of each factor to predict HRQoL. It was hypothesized that children’s active, distraction, and support-seeking general coping strategies would be mediators in the relation of family environment and parental perceived social support to children’s health-related quality of life and that children’s general avoidant coping strategies would not mediate either the relation of family environment or parental perceived social support to children’s health-related quality of life. Although children’s active, distraction, and support-seeking coping strategies were not found to mediate the relation of family environment to children’s health-related quality of life or the relation of parental perceive social support to health-related quality of life, children’s avoidant coping strategies were found to be a mediator in the relation of family environment to children’s health-related quality of life and in the relation of parental perceived social support to health-related quality of life. It was also hypothesized that children’s age would moderate the relation of children’s active, distraction, and support-seeking coping strategies to children’s health-related quality of life. Age moderated the relation of avoidant coping to HRQoL. Avoidant coping was negatively associated with HRQoL for the older children but the association was not significant for younger children. To facilitate a better health-related quality of life for children with Type 1 diabetes, therapists and healthcare professionals should identify ways to help parents feel more supported as they care for and create a more cohesive and low conflict family environment, which contributes to their children’s health-related quality of life. Additionally, therapists should work with children and their parents to increase children’s use of active, distraction, and support-seeking coping strategies, which are related to more positive outcomes compared to children’s use of avoidant coping strategies, which are related to less positive outcomes.
"I Want to be Free the Lebanese Way": An Interpretive Phenomenology Examination of Lebanese American Queer Youth's Experiences of Family Secrecy
El Helou, Lea (Virginia Tech, 2022-06-21)
Limited knowledge is available around the experiences of queer Lebanese American young adults, specifically around family secrecy around their sexuality. This gap in the marriage and family therapy research has significant implications, and erases the experiences of queer Arab young adults around disclosure of their sexual identity. This study examined the experiences of 19 Lebanese American young adults navigating secrecy around their sexual identity. Research questions presented were the following: a) How do queer Lebanese American young adults experience family secrecy surrounding their sexual identity and relationship? b) How do queer Lebanese American young adults interpret the process of family secrecy and are impacted by family secrecy? c) What are queer Lebanese American young adults' experiences of shifts in boundaries and alliances as a result of family secrecy? The study utilized structural family therapy or SFT (Minuchin, 1974) as the theoretical framework to guide the conceptualization of family dynamics and how they are impacted by the family secrecy surrounding the participants' sexuality. Findings illustrated the complexity of the family secrecy process, which is fraught with complex emotions, which resulted in a decision-making process around who to include in the secret, who to keep out of the secrecy, as well as strategies employed to maintain the secrecy and protect the family members from the implications of disclosure. Participants described the process as stressful and signifying shame around their sexual identities, and feeling as though their two identities, Lebanese and queer, were conflicting and could not coexist together. Findings also demonstrated the family unit's resilience and collectivism through participants relying on their family members, particularly mothers and siblings, to navigate this complex landscape. The findings have research and clinical implications, emphasizing the need to extend the discourse around sexual identity and disclosure to include Lebanese and Middle Eastern families within the field of family science.
The Impact of Race-Related Social Experiences on Black Fathers' Ethnic-Racial Socialization of their Children
Johnson, Shawnice (Virginia Tech, 2023-10-17)
The Implementation of Distance Learning In The Electronic Classroom
Gant, Lenora Peters (Virginia Tech, 1997-12-02)
The purpose of this case study research was to identify the factors and supporting strategies that contribute to the implementation of DL instruction in the two-way audio/video (A/V) electronic classroom (EC). A primary goal of this research was to develop an outline of a DL manual that identifies factors and strategies or subject areas that can be used to: (a) contribute to knowledge in the field of practice, (b) improve practice, and (c) improve the quality and success of DL teaching in the EC. Additionally, this study attempted to ascertain the differences and similarities in perceptions among students, facilitators, and training officers who participated in the EC. A list of recommendations are presented at the end of this study; the first list of recommendations suggest areas for the improvement of practice and to influence the quality and success of DL. The second set of recommendations suggest areas for further study to add to knowledge in the field as well as to improve practice. The case study was completed employing a qualitative methodology using focus group interviews, observations, and written feedback from EC participants. Focus group 1 (data set I) was conducted using a set of 13 pre-determined questions with a total of eleven participants. The EC observations (data set II) was conducted at the Navy Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (NMITC), Dam Neck, VA with 5 students in attendance. The second focus group (data set III) was conducted with a set of 15 different pre-determined questions with the same 5 students at the NMITC immediately after the observations in the EC. The FGIs and observations were video and audio taped for further review and analysis. Written information reported from two different distant site locations (same course and telecast) was analyzed, coded, and used as data set IV. This data set further clarified and corroborated data generated in data sets I, II, and III. This case study identified 10 key factors and supporting strategies pertinent to the implementation of DL in the EC. One of the findings in this study was that the roles of the instructor and the facilitator are interwoven; this arrangement is seen as a two-person "team" by this study's participants because the instructor and facilitator are dependent on each other in order to implement DL and ensure quality operations in the EC. This is a new paradigm shift in the instructor's role when compared with the conventional classroom instructor. In my examination of the literature, I could not find that this collaborative arrangement of a two-person "team" was addressed. Other findings were: (a) the importance of the student guide and supplemental materials that aided EC interactions and (b) the importance of the EC design as a quality indicator and how it can facilitate a good learning environment. Based on a synthesis of the data, there was considerable agreement among the users about the factors and strategies used to operationalize DL in the EC. The facilitators and training officers placed more emphasis on the administrative and return on investment aspects of DL -- cost savings, access to training at duty location -- versus the students who placed more stress on instructional strategies — questioning and interaction techniques -- that worked well for them in the EC and the importance of EC courses helping them to keep up to date with job competencies.
Indian Wives of Incarcerated Men Tell Their Stories: An Intersectional Narrative Analysis of Disenfranchisement and Resilience
Gupta, Shivangi (Virginia Tech, 2024-04-25)
When a family member is incarcerated, the task of emotionally and financially supporting the remaining family members and the incarcerated loved one often falls upon women, who are likely to be under-resourced and overwhelmed. Women whose husbands are incarcerated in India are likely to possess multiple marginalized identities, increasing their vulnerability to intersecting forms of oppression. Empirical research is lacking on wives of incarcerated men in India, contributing to their invisibility in policy-making and programmatic interventions. Guided by intersectional feminism and symbolic interactionism, the purpose of this study was to document the stories of women who had experienced spousal incarceration in the Indian context. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 wives of prison inmates who resided in or around the National Capital Territory of Delhi, all of whom either held a lower caste identity or a Muslim religious identity. Transcribed interviews were analyzed following the steps of narrative analysis. Results illustrate the diversity of storied experiences of wives of incarcerated husbands in India. First, by grouping narratives that conveyed the same overall storyline into the same cluster, I identified three story clusters: Ambivalent but Hanging On, Unconditionally Devoted, and Independent and Disillusioned. Second, by attending to how women's day-to-day lives are shaped by intersecting systems of privilege and oppression, particularly those tied to gender and class, I identified three overarching themes that spanned women's narratives: (a) a complicated relationship with patriarchy, (b) the weight of socioeconomic disenfranchisement, and (c) when resilience is not a choice. The results of this study emphasize the need to distinguish between feminist agency and welfare agency, to recognize women's experiences of ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief, and to critique the systemic injustices that forced women to be resilient. Documenting their stories is instrumental in bringing attention to the needs, challenges, and triumphs of this underserved and overlooked population.
Individual Motivation To Seek Couple Therapy: An Application of the Health Belief Model
O'Connell, Lyn Moore (Virginia Tech, 2019-01-22)
Despite the well-established effectiveness of couple therapy for reducing distress and improving relationship satisfaction (Cohen, 1988; Christensen and Heavey, 1999), less than a fourth of couples seek couple therapy prior to divorce (Albrecht, Bahr, and Goodman, 1983; Wolcott, 1986). Rather, the majority of couples wait over 5 years before seeking therapy (Johnson et al., 2002). Barriers to seeking individual therapy are well established and are associated with decreased rates of therapy attendance and the negative consequences of untreated distress and mental health problems (Corrigan, 2004; Killaspy, Banerjee, King, and Lloyd, 2000; Vogel, Wade and Hackler, 2007). It is unclear as to whether the same barriers exist for individuals who are seeking couple therapy. This study examined the applicability of the Health Belief Model (HBM; Rosenstock, 1966), with the addition of demographic characteristics (gender, income, education, and religion) and contextualizing individual factors (relational distress and perceived stigma), to predict an individual in a committed relationship's (N =158) motivation to seek couple therapy. When controlling for demographic variables and contextualizing factors, the Health Belief Model factors of lower barriers and lower benefits were predictive of higher motivation to seek couple therapy. Throughout all iterations of the model, lower income and lower relational distress were also associated with higher rates of motivation to seek couple therapy. This research indicates that barriers, including high levels of relational distress, impact an individual's motivation to seek couple therapy. Further investigation of the application of the HBM factors to mental health, including research into more systemic measurements of these factors, is needed. Future research should also identify other potentially contextualizing factors, as the overall model accounted for a relatively small amount of variation in the individual's motivation to seek couple therapy.

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Browsing Doctoral Dissertations by Department "Adult Learning and Human Resource Development"

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