Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Social Work

Children's earliest experiences are critical for health and well-being across the lifespan. These experiences shape the development of social-emotional skills which lay the foundation by which children learn to navigate the intricacies of social interactions and complex emotions. Not all children, however, develop the social-emotional skills needed for success, with between 9 and 14% of children in early childhood exhibiting some type social-emotional deficit (Brauner & Stephens, 2006). Difficulties with early social-emotional skills may lead to behavioral, academic, and social problems during early childhood, as well as later in life (Denham & Brown, 2010). Low-income children of color often face barriers that put them at risk for poor social-emotional skill development. In an effort to support these vulnerable young children, the social settings in which they spend time should be targeted. One key setting in which many young children spend time is center-based child care. Examining this setting is a growing priority, so that the contributions of child care toward child social-emotional outcomes are maximized. Using secondary data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 2009, this study examined child care as a social setting that may positively influence social-emotional skill development among young low-income, children of color. Specifically, this study used multilevel modeling to explore child care center support, and also teacher emotional support and behavior management practices, and their influence on problem behaviors and social skill development among young children. Findings revealed that neither teacher emotional support practices nor teacher behavior management practices were significantly associated with child social skills or problem behaviors. However, teacher perceived center support was significantly related to child problem behaviors among low-income children of color, with higher teacher perceived center support as (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dawn Anderson-Butcher PhD (Advisor); Audrey Begun PhD (Committee Member); Buettner Cynthia PhD (Committee Member); Logan Jessica PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Work

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Sociology

Emotional support, particularly support from family and close friends, is essential to mental health outcomes especially for members of the LGBTQ+ community. The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to the important role of emotional support especially for marginalized communities. Although emotional support is recognized as a critical resource, to date no research has examined access to support during the pandemic for gender and sexual diverse populations. I draw on a new population-based data source of 3,642 respondents, the National Couples' Health and Time Use Study (NCHAT), which oversampled sexual and gender diverse populations during the pandemic (September 2020-April 2021). I focus on two sources of emotional support: family members and friends. Respondents who identified as exclusively heterosexual relied more on emotional support from family than respondents who identified as exclusively gay/lesbian, bisexual including pan, omni, and queer, and those reporting another sexual identity or multiple sexual identities. However, respondents who did not identify as heterosexual relied more on emotional support from friends compared to exclusively heterosexual respondents. There were no significant differences among respondents who identity as sexual minorities in regard to family or friend support. This work contributes to understanding of the social climate and resources available to sexual and diverse populations during a major public health crisis.

Committee: Wendy Manning Ph.D. (Advisor); Monica Longmore Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kei Nomaguchi Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Sociology

Prior research regarding parents' provision of instrumental support and its relation to criminal activity has found that, when comparing criminal children to their noncriminal siblings, parents are more likely to provide instrumental support to criminal children. The provision of this support is key to ensuring stability and success during emerging adulthood, and this support becomes even more important for individuals who have been exposed to the criminal justice system. This thesis examined the association between parents' provision of instrumental and emotional assistance and adult children's criminal behavior in models that included measures of parents' own prior criminal behavior and reports of disapproval toward adult children. Specifically, three research questions are addressed: Are parents more likely to provide instrumental and emotional support if their children have encountered the criminal justice system, does parent criminal justice contact decrease the likelihood of providing instrumental and emotional support, and does parent disapproval decrease the likelihood of providing both instrumental and emotional support? Using data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationship Study (n = 875), multiple regression analyses were used to assess instrumental support, emotional support, and criminal activity. While societal norms constrain parents and encourage the provision of instrumental support to family members in need, I found that those constraints dissolve in the context of emotional support, where parent disapproval seemed to override pressures to provide support to young adults that have experienced criminal justice contact.

Committee: Monica Longmore Ph.D (Advisor); Peggy Giordano Ph.D (Committee Member); Wendy Manning Ph.D (Committee Member); Raymond Swisher Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology; Social Psychology; Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2018, Sociology (Arts and Sciences)

While previous studies have examined the identity of student-athletes, more information is needed about the identity, type of retirement and social and emotional support received during a student- athlete's retirement when they transition from being a collegiate athlete to life post- retirement. Using interview data, the present study uses a symbolic interactionist lens and focuses on the transition process. The data suggests that despite a student-athlete's identity being deeply entrenched, those in this study were able to have a relatively easy retirement transition. During their transition they received support from a variety of groups; the most prominent was their families. Social class is one factor that is a potential buffer during the retirement transition. Discussion centers on details of identity formation, the easiest and most difficult parts of retirement and expands on social and emotional support. Limitations of this study and future directions are discussed as well.

Committee: Rachel Terman (Committee Chair); Thomas Vander Ven (Committee Member); Christine Mattley (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch New England: Marriage and Family Therapy

The current study is quantitative research that used a web-based survey from multiple religious denominations in the United States to examine the relationships among perceptions of stress, work-family spillover, marital satisfaction, and family functioning of pastors. Emotional exhaustion, hours worked, personal accomplishment, and social support were analyzed as predictors from the work domain. Two measures of spillover were used to evaluate family stressors and enhancers. The stressors and enhancers were tested as mediators between work domain and personal/family life. Life satisfaction, marital satisfaction and family dysfunction were analyzed as outcome variables. The sample included 83 pastors from a convenience sample including 62 males and 21 females, with backgrounds diverse in culture, education, and denomination. Analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS (Version 26), including Pearson's correlations along with regression analysis using PROCESS macro to test for mediation. It was found that social support does increase family enhancers and work-family positive spillover but contrary to predictions, personal accomplishment appeared to impact family life by increasing emotional exhaustion, stressors, and family dysfunctions. Greater incidents of emotional exhaustion and hours worked were found to reduce the incident of enhancers and work-family positive spillover and increase family stressors and work-family negative spillover. Greater incidents of emotional exhaustion were found to reduce marital satisfaction and increase family dysfunctions. This research has practical and clinical implications for pastors, spouses, and children of pastors, educators, family scientists, therapists, and organizations who employ pastors.

Committee: Kevin Lyness PhD (Committee Chair); Lucille Byno PhD (Committee Member); Janet Robertson PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Families and Family Life; Individual and Family Studies; Mental Health; Occupational Health; Psychotherapy; Therapy

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

Images have become prominent means of communication online through social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Selfies are the most common type of photo that is shared on social media, taken by a person captured within the photo. Social media platforms allow people to obtain social rewards, through the responses it receives, which leaves the question regarding “Could an individual be negatively affected by posting Selfies?”. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of uploading Selfies on self-esteem. In addition, this study aimed to explore the impact of how their Selfie is received by their peers after uploaded. Social support and anxiety are useful in understanding the impacts of posting Selfies. A quantitative study was designed to test the effects of uploading Selfies has on self- esteem, social support, and emotional well-being. The study was conducted online with volunteers. Data were gathered using a survey form, as well as the following instruments: State- Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Self-Conscious Scale- Revised (SCS-R), and the Social Support- Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL). The frequency of uploading Selfies did not demonstrate any effects on the aforementioned variables. The results of the data collection indicated that there were statistically significant relationships among enthusiasm for uploading Selfies, increased trait anxiety, and diminished depression. Additionally, there was a statistically significant relationship between Disappointment for uploading Selfies and higher trait anxiety only. This study provided a framework for future explorations of identity construction through Selfies and social media use. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, https://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

Committee: Stephen Southern Ed.D (Committee Chair); Lynn Dhanak Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jerri Lynn Hogg Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Personality Psychology; Psychology; Social Psychology

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Leadership

This participatory action research study took the conceptual framework of Social Emotional Learning (SEL), collaboration merging through solid relationships to analyze the realities of the teacher on special assignment (TOSA) role and the job description. This study involved individual interviews and a focus group; both were coded using inductive coding. The results of this study revealed themes of SEL, collaboration, relationships, transitional needs, and future job recommendations. In collaboration with the director of student support services, a two-goal action plan centered around continuing SEL growth and improving this role in the future was made. Due to financial needs that hold significant impact, Westview cannot consider this action plan as their focus and area of need do not align at this time.

Committee: Ricardo Garcia (Committee Chair); Nicholas DeGrazia (Committee Member); Joni Baldwin (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education

PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Receiving an advanced cancer diagnosis, undoubtedly, is a stressful life event. Research, however, suggests that distress among cancer patients is far from uniformly distributed. As such, this dissertation examines the extent to which (1) emotional well-being among individuals with advanced cancer varies following diagnosis until death, (2) gender differences in emotional well-being emerge over time following diagnosis until death, and (3) the association between gender and emotional well-being among persons with advanced cancer is conditioned over time by (a) types of coping styles and (b) perceptions of social support. Data come from the Aging and Supportive Care study (A&SC), and multilevel models based on a longitudinal sample of people with advanced cancer reveal the following main findings: First, compared to their male counterparts, women with advanced cancer improve in levels of emotional well-being over time. Second, women's rate of change in emotional well-being is contingent on levels of social and coping resources to a greater extent than that of their male peers. And third, differences emerge when the data are split by short- and long-term survivors, which highlights the complexity and heterogeneity in the experiences of those living with advanced cancer. The longitudinal focus of this study lends itself to demystifying the commonplace assumption that those living with advanced cancer are constantly and uniformly distressed. Instead, findings suggest that not only is there variability in the mental health of those living with advanced cancer, but that the adjustment to this terminal disease unfolds over time.

Committee: Manacy Pai (Committee Chair); Richard Adams (Committee Member); Jennifer Taber (Committee Member); Linda Francis (Committee Member); Kristen Marcussen (Committee Member); Kelly Cichy (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Nursing

Caring for a person from a distance adds additional complexity and stress to the caregiving role. Distance caregivers (DCGs) are those living more than an hour away from the care recipient. DCGs play a significant role in patient emotional support, assisting with decision-making, and reducing the local caregivers' burden. Since DCGs play a crucial role in a patients care, they, too, report high levels of psychological burden. However, the majority of research has focused on family caregivers of cancer patients who live near the patient and are providing day-to-day care or seeing the patient on a regular basis (known as local caregivers). Although a few studies have investigated caregiver burden in the DCG population, most of the previous work has used qualitative research methods to explore psychological well-being in DCGs. This study examined the relationships between stressors (patient factors that impact caregiver stress), DCG resources that can potentially mediate the impact of stressors upon psychological outcomes, and DCG caregiver burden. The Stress-Appraisal Model of Caregiving guided this study for understanding the relationships between variables. This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study, conducting a secondary data analysis from a parent study “CLOSER_A Videoconference Intervention for Distance Caregivers (DCGs).” The study sample consisted of 314 cancer patient – DCG dyads. The results of this study were: (1) 26.1% of DCGs reported elevated levels of burden, (2) significant negative relationships found between mediators (DCG emotional support and self-efficacy) and DCG burden, (3) significant positive relationships between patient anxiety, depression, and DCG burden. This study contributes to caregiving literature by describing burden in DCGs of patients with cancer, which are an understudied population. The prevalence of burden in DCGs and its related factors were similar to that of local caregivers of cancer patients, which suggests that a si (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sara Douglas PhD, RN (Committee Chair); Christopher Burant PhD (Committee Member); Susan Mazanec PhD, RN, AOCN, FAAN (Committee Member); David Bajor MD (Committee Member) Subjects: Nursing

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Psychology/Clinical

Disordered eating (DE) and emotional eating (EE) are categorized as maladaptive eating behaviors that can place one at risk for developing a diagnosable eating disorder. Research suggests that DE and EE are shaped by a myriad of psychological stressors. Historically, eating disorder research has focused on white females, with less empirical evidence allocated to understanding the relationship between psychological stress and eating outcomes in their non-white counterparts. A hallmark stressful experience that ethnic and racial minorities are disproportionally exposed to is perceived discrimination. Perceived discrimination has been linked to various negative psychological outcomes, such as DE and EE. The Stress-Process Model suggests that the relationship between stress exposures and mental health outcomes is mediated by social resources and moderated by personal resources. No current study exists utilizing the Stress-Process Model to examine whether social support (social resource) mediates the relationship between perceived discrimination (stress exposure) and DE and EE (mental health outcomes). Additionally, prior research has not examined personal resources as potential moderators of this relationship, such as internalization of thinness and ethnic identity. The current study aimed to examine the following research questions: Does social support mediate the relation between perceived discrimination and DE and EE within ethnic minority populations? Second, do ethnic identity and internalization of thinness moderate the relation between perceived discrimination and DE and EE? Finally, does internalization of thinness moderate the relation between perceived discrimination and DE across racial/ethnic minority groups? Data was collected using electronic surveys, inquiring on demographics, perceived discrimination, DE and EE, social support, internalization of thinness, and level of ethnic identity. Three hundred and seven participants were recruited using Mechanical (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Abby Braden Ph.D. (Advisor); Dara Musher-Eizenman Ph.D. (Committee Member); William O'Brien Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2021, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Friendships are among the most important interpersonal relationships in emerging adulthood. Indeed, high-quality friendships have been linked to increased happiness (Demir et al., 2015) and better adjustment (Barry et al., 2016). The mechanisms that might predict these high-quality friendship experiences are not yet well-established, however. Buhrmester et al. (1988) proposed five domains of interpersonal competence (conflict management; emotional support provision; initiation; self-assertion; self-disclosure); more recent literature has identified forgiveness and gratitude as possible additional interpersonal competencies that might influence close peer relationships (see Algoe, 2012; Worthington et al., 2017). The current study examines the measurement of these seven proposed interpersonal competencies and whether they are related to emerging adults' friendship quality experiences using both in-lab (global) measures and nightly report (daily) measures. Results provide preliminary evidence suggesting that measures of Buhrmester et al.'s (1988) interpersonal competency domains, and the two additional domains of forgiveness and gratitude, are reliable, valid, and are somewhat distinct. Additionally, each of the domains of interpersonal competence was found to be relevant for the quality of emerging adults' friendship experiences, though the relevance of each domain appears to vary depending on whether one is interested in predicting positive or negative friendship experiences, and whether one examines these experiences through global reports or reports of daily experiences.

Committee: Kathryn Kerns (Advisor); Judith Gere (Committee Co-Chair); Angela Neal-Barnett (Committee Member); Nichole Egbert (Committee Member); Molly Merryman (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2021, Leadership and Change

In the first quarter of 2020, societal upheavals related to the COVID-19 pandemic included employers' work-from-home mandates and an almost overnight adoption of video meetings to replace in-person meetings no longer possible due to contagion fears and social distancing requirements. This exploratory study aimed to address, in part, the scientific knowledge gap about video meetings as a source of emotional labor. The study used mixed methods to explore three hypotheses concerning how the contemporary use of video meetings related to emotional exhaustion, stressors, and coping. Data were gathered through an online survey questionnaire. Emotional exhaustion, the dependent variable in the study, was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Schaufeli et al., 1996) General Survey emotional exhaustion subset of items. Stressors measured included surface acting, which was measured using items adapted from Grandey's (2005) scale. Coping was measured by perceptions about coping resources and cognitive coping. Socio-demographic characteristics served as control variables. Open-ended items produced data pertaining to emotional exhaustion, stressors, and coping related to video meetings. After data cleaning, the sample comprised 345 (n = 345) cross-sector professionals working for U.S.-based organizations. Findings based on a series of linear regression analyses and qualitative data thematic analysis showed video meeting hours and surface acting significantly related to a higher level of emotional exhaustion. Extrovertism, nonwork video gatherings, and social support from another adult in the home were nonsignificant in their relationships with emotional exhaustion. Perceptions that video meetings were too many for participants to accomplish their overall job responsibilities were significantly related to a higher emotional exhaustion level. Perceptions that video meetings were useful to the participant significantly related to a lower emotional exhaustion level. Perceptio (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Elizabeth Holloway PhD (Committee Chair); J. Beth Mabry PhD (Committee Member); Michael Valentine PhD (Committee Member); Emily Axelrod MSW (Other) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Business Community; Business Education; Cognitive Psychology; Communication; Management; Occupational Health; Occupational Psychology; Organizational Behavior; Personal Relationships; Social Psychology; Social Research; Social Structure; Sociology; Systems Design

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2020, Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology MS

Curmudgeon personality, the extent to which a person dislikes most things, has recently received increased attention from researchers. Existing research has focused on either the relationships between curmudgeon personality and Big Five personality factors (e.g., extraversion, agreeableness) or curmudgeon personality and various workplace outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention). The current research examined whether curmudgeon personality and other personality traits (i.e., extraversion and emotional expressiveness) interact with each other to influence the quality of individuals' social relationships at work. Analyses using an MTurk dataset (N = 529) showed some evidence of these interaction effects though some directions of these interactive effects were interesting and inconsistent with our predictions. These findings extend the existing literature by examining curmudgeon personality's interactions with other personality traits and by examining outcome variables not previously examined within the curmudgeon personality literature.

Committee: Nathan A. Bowling Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Corey E. Miller Ph.D. (Committee Member); David M. LaHuis Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Management; Organizational Behavior; Personality Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Education (EdD), Wright State University, 2018, Leadership Studies

Leadership behaviors are associated with organizational commitment for a unique niche of individuals – those who produce less work while in the workplace due to health-related problems, such as anxiety, stress, or depression. New research shows followers' perceptions of leaders' positive support and organizational justice (procedural and distributive) are significantly positively associated with followers' perceived organizational commitment. This quantitative correlational study explored the relationship between followers' perceptions of leadership support, leadership procedural justice, and leadership distributive justice, as well as their own perceptions of their emotional stability, and organizational commitment using the authentic leadership framework. Further research using multiple linear regression investigated if a combination of two or more variables, including leadership support, organizational justice (procedural and distributive) or emotional stability, could predict organizational commitment. The study found that followers' perceptions of their leadership support and followers' emotional stability could predict organizational commitment for individuals with low psychological capital (PsyCap).

Committee: Mindy McNutt Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Glenn Graham Ed.D. (Committee Member); Huma Bashir Ed.D. (Committee Member); Cassie Barlow Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior

Master of Science in Computer Engineering (MSCE), Wright State University, 2016, Computer Engineering

Online social systems have emerged as a popular medium for people in society to communicate with each other. Among the most important reasons why people communicate is to share emotional problems, but most online social systems are uncomfortable or unsafe spaces for this purpose. This has led to the rise of online emotional support systems, where users needing to speak to someone can anonymously connect to a crowd of trained listeners for a one-on-one conversation. To better understand who, how and when users utilize these systems, and to evaluate their safety, this thesis offers a comprehensive examination of the characteristics of users and their interactions from a massive, leading emotional support platform. From a big data set of millions of conversations across hundreds of thousands of users, the study employs statistical measurement techniques and predictive analytics to shed light about the ways these platforms are utilized, and the extent to which users behave in un-wanting ways. The analysis leads to recommendations on promoting positive system utilization and an understanding of the effectiveness of protections in place to thwart emotional attacks. This work is likely the first to measure the activities and interactions in an online social system for emotional support.

Committee: Derek Doran Ph.D. (Advisor); Junjie Zhang Ph.D. (Committee Member); Tanvi Banerjee Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Engineering; Computer Science

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2015, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

In this phenomenological study, thematic analysis was used to gain a better understanding of the lived experience of six Iranian-Americans who left Iran for safety and a better life. The researcher assessed the participants' journey phase by phase, to get a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Overall, emigrating from Iran had both negative and positive outcomes. Six main domains emerged while trying to understand the lived experiences of the participants on the journey, including its emotional impact and how they coped. Data analysis yielded 6 domains and 16 themes: 1. Incentive to leave: (a) Political and civil unrest, (b) Minimal opportunities to obtain resources, (c) Religious discrimination; 2. Initial emotional respond: (a) Excitement, (b) Stress, (c) Numbness / confusion; 3. The journey: (a) Coping with physical and environmental discomfort, (b) Coping with food and water deprivation, (c) Witnessing or experiencing threat to one's life or safety, (4) Experiencing loss: (a) Loss from Material detachment, (b) Loss from Emotional detachment, 5. Receiving support: (a) Family and friends' support, (b) Strangers' support, (c) Organizations' support, and 6. Outcome: (a) Emotional impact of the journey, (b) Life satisfaction. Although the respondents lamented the loss of community life in Iran, and experienced misery on the journey, they were uplifted by the support they received, which eased their pain and kept them hopeful and strong in the face of adversity. Participants used a combination of Cognitive Approach and Avoidant Coping in different stages of their journey. Of the six participants, five were grateful for their migration to the United Sates and satisfied about their current lifestyle. Implications for clinical practice and future research are included in this study. The electronic version of this dissertation is available free at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd.

Committee: Sharleen O'Brein Ph.D (Committee Chair); Rajan Indhushree Ph.D. (Committee Member); Taghi Amjadi Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behaviorial Sciences; Bilingual Education; Clinical Psychology; Cognitive Therapy; Counseling Education; Counseling Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2015, College of Nursing

This cross–sectional, discriminant, secondary data analysis study aimed to: 1) examine if HIV–infected pregnant women in Thailand could be classified into depression groups (non–depressed, mildly–depressed, and severely–depressed) by time of knowing one's HIV serostatus, HIV–related physical symptoms, stressful life events, self–esteem, and emotional support; 2) identify significant predictors of depression classification; and 3) investigate the accuracy of discriminant functions in classifying the target population into depression groups. The diathesis–stress model of depression (Kerns & Turk, 1984) was applied to guide the study. Depression refers to the degree of negative thinking, somatic complaints, and difficulties in interpersonal relationships the participant experiences in the past week as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies for Depression Scale (CES–D). This study analyzed existing data from 129 HIV–infected pregnant women from four hospitals in Thailand. Data were collected by self–administered questionnaires (alpha ranged from .78 – .90): Rosenberg Self–Esteem Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Norbeck's Life Events Questionnaire, and CES–D. To answer the research questions, discriminant analysis and multinomial logistic regression (MLR) were used. G*Power generated a power of .85 for n = 129. Discriminant analysis results showed that participants could be classified into non–depressed, mildly–depressed, and severely–depressed groups with HIV–related physical symptoms, self–esteem, and emotional support as significant predictors. The whole model yielded 30% of the explained variance. MLR results showed that non–depressed participants could be differentiated successfully from their severely–depressed counterparts. The odds were over 3 times greater that HIV–infected pregnant women with physical symptoms were classified into the severely–depressed group. The odds were over 21 times greater that HIV–infected pregna (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ratchneewan Ross (Committee Chair); Barbara L. Drew (Committee Member); Christine Heifner Graor (Committee Member); Madhav P. Bhatta (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care; Nursing; Public Health; Womens Studies

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Allied Health Sciences : Communication Science and Disorders

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore why family member caregivers of stroke survivors with a variety neurogenic communication disorders assimilated into their loved one's stroke support group and continued to participate on a regular basis. Phenomenological research allowed the researchers to explore the caregivers' lived experiences and thus identify themes based upon their perceptions and opinions. Research studies describing the phenomenon of caregiver assimilation and why caregivers are actively involved in the stroke survivors' group were not found. Instead, many research studies have focused upon the social and emotional benefits of support groups for caregivers and support groups for survivors of neurogenic incidents. Caregivers of stroke survivors with a neurogenic communication disorder from different social, economic, and cultural backgrounds participated in semi-structured interviews in order for the researcher to understand their lived experience of participation in their loved ones' stroke support group. The findings suggest that caregivers joined these support groups for a variety of reasons including the goals of learning communication strategies to improve their interactions with the stroke survivors, discovering resources available in the local community and around the country, counteracting the lack of information received upon medical discharge, and the development of social support gleaned from other caregivers present in the group.

Committee: Aimee Dietz PhD (Committee Chair); Krista Beyrer MA (Committee Member); Laura Wilcox Kretschmer EdD (Committee Member); John Clark PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, Social Work

Possibilities for increased morbidity in physical health in later life have been continuously discussed as important factors that can affect psychological well-being of older people. In addition, perceived emotional support has been widely examined as a protective source against depressive symptoms in later life. However, potential roles of self-perception of aging (one's own age stereotypes) that might be related to physical health, perceived emotional support, and depressive symptoms have been rarely studied. Furthermore, although there has been considerable interest in examining influence of self-perception of aging on physical and cognitive functioning of older individuals, the influence of self-perception of aging on mental health has not been widely studied. Since cognition can influence behavior and emotion, self-perception of aging can be an important cognitive predisposition of depressive symptoms of older individuals. Stereotype embodiment theory and the buffer theory of social support have suggested that age stereotypes and perceived emotional support can affect the construction of self-perception of aging in later life. However, little research has explored in an integrated manner about how self-perception of aging is related to both a discouraging societal impact on the self as constructing age schema and a protective role of the self through perceived emotional support in the aging process. In order to address the gaps in the literature, the current study aimed to achieve three goals: (1) to examine the mediating effect of self-perception of aging between physical health and depressive symptoms; (2) to test the moderating effect of age schema on the relationship between physical health and self-perception of aging; and (3) to estimate the moderating effect of perceived emotional support on the relationship between physical health and self-perception of aging. Physical health status was hypothesized to have an impact on depressive symptoms and to be (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Virginia Richardson (Advisor); Mo-Yee Lee (Committee Member); Joseph Guada (Committee Member) Subjects: Gerontology; Social Psychology; Social Work

Master of Science (MS), University of Toledo, 2006, Nurse Educator

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects, in the first 6 months of caring, of emotional support and physical help on the health of first-time caregivers of persons with stroke. This study was a secondary analysis of data collected during baseline, 3-month, and 6-month telephone interviews for a large NIH study. Only the control group for the NIH study was used (n = 40) and a descriptive-correlational designwas employed. The data were analyzed using non-parametric statistics. Caregivers' perceived health and their receipt of emotional support and physical help did not change significantly over time. A significant, positive relationship was found to exist between emotional support and caregiver health at 6 months. Nurses can help preserve the stability of caregivers' health during the initial 6 months of caring and beyond by assisting them to establish and maintain an accessible network of emotional and physical support from family, friends, and formal services.

Committee: Linda Pierce, Ph.D., R.N. (Advisor) Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing