Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2014, Educational Administration (Education)

This study of Ohio public, private, charter, and vocational school principals during the 2012-2013 school year explored existence or no existence of parental aggression towards school principals. The study researched predictors of aggression towards school principals and identified the frequency of their occurrence. The operationalized definition of parental aggression for this study was parental conduct that the school administrator perceives as threatening to their physical, psychological, or professional well-being. Through regression analysis and descriptive statistics, connections between acts of parental aggression and the demographics of the community, principal, and school were found. This study may serve as a platform to more deeply explore issues relating to aggressive parents, as well as, fill gaps in existing literature and provide insight into possible predictors of parental aggression.

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2020, School Psychology

Parent involvement can affect children in and of the school setting. Previous research related to parent involvement in schools has focused mostly on urban school district populations. There is a gap in research examining parent involvement within suburban school districts. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate what hinders and promotes parent involvement, as well as what parents define as best practices for parents. This study followed the constructivism interview approach through the use of a semi-structured interview protocol. Ten parents were recruited to participate from Southwestern Ohio suburban school districts. Participants were parents of children enrolled in grades kindergarten through twelfth during the 2018-19 school year. Parent participants reported five major components that defined best practices of parent involvement: regular open communication with both educators and students, supporting extracurriculars, assisting with schoolwork (i.e., homework, monitoring grades, and enrichment), presence in the school, and promoting healthy trajectory. Participants reported four major barriers that hindered parent involvement: time constraints due to working outside the home and inflexible work schedules, lack of communication from both educators and their children, an unwelcoming environment, and lack of volunteer opportunities provided by the schools. Parent participants reported four major facilitators that promoted parent involvement: being offered a variety of involvement opportunities, receiving more individualized communication as well as more organized and consistent communication from the school, a welcoming environment, and establishing a sense of connectedness through technology. The findings from this study can inform strategies to enhance parent involvement in suburban schools.

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2016, School Psychology

Students typically reach higher levels of success academically when their parents are involved in the educational process. The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers that prevent the participation of impoverished, inner-city families in their children's education. Using semi-structured interviews, eight parents from an urban school district in the Midwestern United States were interviewed. Results demonstrated that economic factors, times constraints, communication, and institutional environments were barriers for the families. Other themes emerged, including: a) families expressing in unison that they wanted their children to complete their school careers with the necessary skills to be productive citizens, b) families expected schools and educators to partner with them in providing their children the academic skills required to reach their full potential, and c) families were inclined to utilize technology, such as e-mail, to be involved in their children's schools. Implications for educators are discussed.

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2004, Education : Urban Educational Leadership

Parental involvement is an important component to the academic success of children in schools, based on volumes of studies from as early as the 1960's from Billingsley (1968), Clark (1983), Dauber and Epstein (1989), Jackson (1988), Comer and Poussaint (1992) to the most current research from Epstein (1995),Catsambis (1998), Yan (1999), and Mack (2003). We know that African American parents want their children to succeed in school and that African Americans parents' that are involved, have expressed areas of concern to improve parental involvement, Mack (2003), Thompson (2003), Chevalier (2003), Lawson (2003) . The purposes of this study were to recognize the “faceless/voiceless” African American parent, those parents perceived as not visible or vocal in our urban schools, investigate how these parents help their children to succeed in school, and give voice to their perceptions of how the school meets the educational needs of their children. A qualitative study was the dominant strategy to gather data from the participants. These participants were recommended by school personnel as not involved or vocal in the school. Each participant completed a brief demographic form and responded to four in- depth interview questions: (1) What are your goals for your children? (2) How do you help your children succeed academically in school? (3) How does the school help in the success of your children? (4) How does the school address your needs and concerns? The attendance records, discipline records, teacher journals, and the student's cumulative folders were also reviewed for information relevant to the research. The data indicated not only were parents involved at home as well as school, but school administration, teachers and staff needed to be more accessible to these parents and be more attentive to parent's concerns. The findings from this study may be utilized to develop programs in the local schools that will increase parental involvement, build parent and school relati (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2008, Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

The present study examined agreement between parent and children regarding the behavioral and emotional functioning of the child utilizing the Ohio Scales. It also explored cultural influences on parent-child agreement through a comparison of three clinical samples (e.g., U.S. Caucasian, U.S. non-Caucasian, and South Korean) that were comprised of 228 parent-child pairs. Four different statistical approaches (e.g., correlations, difference scores, generalized distance scores, q-correlations) were used to examine parent-child agreement. Results found that overall, South Korean parents and children presented with similar or higher levels of agreement compared to the other two samples based on the four statistical methods utilized. Interactions between ethnicity and age or gender were explored and results were reported. In the South Korean sample, age and gender were not found to significantly influence parent-child agreement and higher agreement was found for externalizing factor scores compared to internalizing factor scores based on analysis of agreement utilizing generalized distance scores. Findings provide further evidence for the importance of utilizing multiple informants and taking into consideration cultural influences on parent-child agreement. Research that further explores cultural differences in parent-child concordance, directly examines the influence of cultural differences on parent-child agreement, and addresses clinical implications of cultural differences on parent-child discrepancy is warranted.

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Curriculum and Instruction

Child media use with young children has become a more common occurrence in daily life, with parents overseeing the child's media use. During the 2020-22 COVID-19 pandemic, as parents experienced higher levels of stress, child media use increased (Hartshorne et al., 2021). To frame parents' experience of managing children's media use during the pandemic, this study interviewed eight parents of children, ages 2-5 years, during the 2020-22 COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected using semi-structured questions, and photo submissions from participants as prompts for in-depth exploration of the topic. Findings revealed parents engaged in three major parenting practices of evaluation, management, and observation in an iterative cycle to encourage healthy media habits. Within the practice of evaluation, they decided what media to encourage, restrict, and tolerate. To manage the media use, they set expectations, controlled content, and modeled media behaviors. Parents made changes to improve their child's media experiences by observing the child's reactions to the content, amounts of media, and devices used. Through the lens of Parent Development Theory (Mowder, 2005), it was noted that child media use supported the parent role of providing child safety, behavioral regulation, bonding experiences, and educational experiences. During the pandemic, child media use increased in part as a response to the reduction in resources such as childcare, playdates, and child-centered activities outside the home. In addition, parents found creative ways to adapt child media use to support their own needs for self-care and social support during the pandemic to avoid burnout and be resilient parents to their young children.

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Wright State University, 2023, School of Professional Psychology

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term for a group of diagnoses that result from exposure to alcohol in utero. Alcohol creates a spectrum of impacts on the developing brain, contributing to lifelong physical, cognitive and behavioral implications. The prevalence of children with FASD in the foster care system is approximately 60 per 1000 children (Lange et al., 2013). Prevalence rates are underestimated due to children not being diagnosed or receiving an alternative diagnosis. This relates to various emotional, behavioral, social, and cognitive struggles for children and their families. To best serve this population and their families, it is vital for psychologists and other health professionals to collaborate as an interdisciplinary team that is knowledgeable about symptoms, red flags, and the diagnostic process of FASD. Mental health professionals play an important role in increasing awareness of FASD and educating the general population about FASD prevention. The purpose of this dissertation is to emphasize the relationship between FASD and the foster care system through the creation of program curriculum. Emphasis on high prevalence rates within this population will highlight the need for an educational program to increase foster and adoptive parent knowledge about FASD. The curriculum will seek to educate foster and adoptive parents about FASD and instill confidence in their ability to successfully care for a child with FASD. Therefore, children with FASD in the foster care system may be more likely to receive the necessary support from caregivers and professionals which they need to thrive.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2022, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Children with disruptive behaviors routinely have strained relationships with their parents. Longitudinal research has consistently demonstrated that increased levels of disruptive child behaviors predict increased levels of negative parenting behaviors and decreased levels of positive parenting behaviors. However, there is presently a dearth of research examining whether specific child behaviors are differentially associated with specific parenting behaviors, and whether associations vary in strength due to parent ADHD or depressive symptoms. As part of a previous study, 90 parent couples were randomly assigned to interact with a 9- to 12-year-old confederate child exhibiting either typical or disruptive behaviors. Observers coded specific child and parent behaviors in each interaction, and parents reported their own ADHD and depressive symptoms. Following adaptive child behaviors, the frequency of positive parenting behaviors was significantly greater than the frequency of negative parenting behaviors. Following disruptive child behaviors, the frequency of negative parenting behaviors was significantly greater than the frequency of positive parenting behaviors. Parent unlabeled praise, reflections, and labeled praise were each uniquely predicted by adaptive child behaviors more strongly than disruptive child behaviors. Parent indirect commands, direct commands, and negative talk were each uniquely predicted by disruptive child behaviors more strongly than adaptive child behaviors. Exploratory analyses yielded mixed results, with several relationships being moderated by parent ADHD or depressive symptoms. Results extend findings among parent-child dyads to the triad setting, clarify the degree of specificity with which parent behaviors are linked to child behaviors in the coercive cycle, and indicate areas for future research.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Educational Studies

The publication of the Family Engagement Core Competencies by the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement in 2022 provided a body of knowledge of the work of educators engaging with families, a domain not well-understood previously. Situated in the pandemic recovery phase in U.S. education, this dissertation study aimed to explore the nature of efficacy beliefs of educators in family engagement, a latent construct grounded in social cognitive theory. To achieve this aim, a survey measure was developed, and an interpretation and use argument (IUA) anchored the process of the validation of the interpretation and use of its scores. The study was conducted in five phases. In the first phase, the Family Engagement Efficacy Beliefs of Educators (FEEB-E) survey was drafted based on a review of literature, existing instruments, and subject-matter expert and user feedback. In the second phase, the FEEB-E was piloted with a national sample of educators, and exploratory factor, parallel, and reliability analyses were conducted. In the third phase, the FEEB-E was revised based on findings from the pilot study. In the fourth phase, the FEEB-E was administered to a sample of teachers in two Ohio urban school districts, and confirmatory factor, correlation, and reliability analyses were conducted. In the fifth phase, the IUA was constructed, and the appropriateness of the interpretation and use of the scores from the FEEB-E was determined. The study found that survey items were valid for interpretation as representative of their target domain of self-efficacy beliefs for family engagement. There were no extraneous sources of variability in wording of items and directions, order of items, or the scoring scale. The survey items measured the intended population by reflecting a range of efficacy beliefs around multiple dimensions of family engagement and did so reliably (α = .917). Further, the FEEB-E was found to be valid for use as a research instrum (open full item for complete abstract)

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Arts and Sciences: Communication

Communication in parent-child relationships are fundamental in identity development and socialization, however when there is disaffiliation among core belief systems within families, stigma within parent-child dynamics and communication may emerge. The purpose of this study was to explore parent-child communication surrounding religious disaffiliation stigma experienced by young adults. A qualitative interview approach was used to collect data from participants (N = 15) between the ages of 18 to 34 who have disaffiliated from their parent's religion to any degree. Findings indicated authoritarian parenting communication regarding conversations surrounding religion was most prevalent. Second, participants expressed a range of feelings of stigma on a continuum from church-related societal pressures to interpersonal unrelenting parent standards and negative parental judgement, to internalized stigma. Also, most participants identified as LGBTQ+ (n = 9) which also influenced their feelings of stigma. Finally, avoidance communication strategies were the predominant means of managing their feelings of stigma with their family. The findings highlight how parent-child communication can have a negative impact when it comes to religious disaffiliation, especially if the child is a member of the LGBTQ+ community due to harmful anti-LGBTQ+ religious messaging.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Psychology/Clinical

Research on the mother-child relationship has often focused on the important socializing influence that maternal communication has on children's attitudes, views, and behaviors. Few studies have considered the socializing influence of maternal communication on children's understanding of mental illness. The present qualitative study examined the first-person accounts of 12 emerging adult children of mothers with major depressive disorder. Participants completed individual semi-structured interviews in which they recalled their mother's communication about her depression when they were growing up, the impact that they believe maternal communication about depression has had on them, and their own approach to discussing their mother's depression with others. Guided by principles of Communication Privacy Management Theory, thematic analytic techniques were used to describe participant accounts of maternal and personal approaches to concealment or disclosure of maternal depression. Emerging adults' reasons for their mother's concealment of her depression included a desire to protect her children and avoid social stigma while perceived reasons for mother's disclosure of her depression included a desire to explain her behavior and seek support from her children. Participants described how maternal communication about depression affected their relationship with their mother, their sense of personal well-being, their understanding of depression, and their relationships with others. Emerging adults' accounts suggest that their decisions about disclosing information about their mother's depression stemmed from a desire to protect their mother's privacy, to avoid family stigma, and to seek social support from other people. Implications of present findings for future research and family interventions are discussed.

Doctor of Education (EdD), Wright State University, 2020, Leadership Studies

The focus of this study was a comparison of military and non-military parent engagement levels in public elementary schools. A parent survey was used to collect data on the parent engagement levels of military and non-military parents to determine if there was a significant difference between the two populations, while controlling for income and education. In addition, the parent engagement levels of the military parents were analyzed based on the percentage of military students in each school. The objective was to determine if a higher percentage of military students in a school would increase the military parent engagement. Open-ended questions were added to the survey to collect parent responses about how their school can increase parent participation and support military families. There was a statistically significant difference between the parent engagement levels of military and non-military parents for Sharing Information, Connection to Resources, Educational Quality and School Climate, but it was dependent on the income of the parents. No statistically significant difference was seen for the Leadership and Participation or Communication constructs. There was also no statistically significant difference in the level of military parent engagement based on the percentage of military students in the school. The qualitative analyses of the open-ended questions revealed a difference in how the military and non-military families believe that schools should increase parent participation and support military families.

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2019, Psychology

Teenagers with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience difficulties with developing and maintaining adaptive skills, specifically daily living skills (DLS). The development of DLS, and the relationship between DLS and other factors, has produced contradictory findings. The aim of this study was to examine the differences of DLS between typically developing (TD) and ASD teens, and the relationship between DLS and parent involvement and parent confidence. We also used qualitative interviews to explore parents' descriptions of their attempts to help their teens develop DLS through qualitative interviews. A total of 54 parent-teen dyads (ASD N = 40; TD N =14) matched on age and IQ completed the VABS-3 and PRQ, which examined adaptive behavior skills and parent practices. The ASD group had significantly lower DLS scores than the TD group, as expected. There were no significant differences between parents' scores on parenting involvement and confidence, and the standard scores of both groups were in the average range. There were few significant relationships between DLS scores and parent practices scores in either group, though the TD demonstrated a significant relationship between DLS and parent involvement, and this correlation was significantly higher than that found in the ASD group. Regression analyses found parent confidence and parent involvement scores to predict DLS in the ASD group, with confidence being the most significant factor. Based on qualitative interviews, parents primarily use verbal prompting to promote DLS in their teens. Future research should focus on replicating these findings with larger sample sizes, and examining the role of these factors in DLS intervention.

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Research has identified quality physician-patient communication as essential to patient satisfaction, and has linked it to several important health outcomes, such as improved adherence and physical/mental health outcomes. However, although there has been a clear link found between satisfaction and communication in adults, this research is less frequently studied in pediatric populations. Though limited, affective components of doctor-parent communication have received the most support in the literature in connection to satisfaction. In order to better understand this link, specific communication behaviors that parents perceive as important need to be identified and examined. The present study aimed to assess parent perception of physician communication, how this relates to parents' overall and communication-specific satisfaction, and potential factors that may impact this relationship, such as socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity. Using transcripts of a simulated well-child exam, the findings from this study underscored the importance of physicians asking for information from parents and utilizing affective aspects of communication (e.g., reassurance or encouragement and showing concern). Results supported that when parents perceive these behaviors as happening, they report higher levels of satisfaction with the pediatrician in the transcript. The parents in this sample who reported having concerns about their child's emotional or behavioral health showed higher levels of satisfaction when physicians responded most thoroughly to disclosed concerns by the mother in the transcript. This was true when both internalizing and externalizing concerns were reported by parents; however, likely due to the impact of disruptive or hyperactive behaviors on family's lives, parents reported higher levels of satisfaction when externalizing concerns were discussed more thoroughly. Our results suggest that there may also be differences in parent perception of physician c (open full item for complete abstract)

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2019, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

This qualitative study explores the experience of mothers parenting significantly aggressive children, ages five to 10. Little has been known previously about how women experience this aggression or the social and psychological impacts it has on them. This dissertation highlights the women's understandings to provide a solid basis for theoretical explication using a Constructivist Grounded Theory approach. Significant findings include the invisibility and stigma the women feel and the ways in which the experience is similar and dissimilar to other forms of family violence, particularly adolescent-on-parent violence (APV). Differences were found in social stigma between women whose child has a neurodevelopmental disorder and those parenting a child with trauma. Women were found to endorse a narrative that “good mothers” sacrifice even their own safety for their children and use their strong empathy for their children as a source of empowerment. Finally, the relationship of these findings to the literature as well as discussion of their clinical implications of the study findings are presented. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

Specialist in Education, Miami University, 2018, School Psychology

Research has shown that parent-school involvement is an important contributor to student academic success and achievement. This involvement can be even more crucial for students whose families are living in poverty, as it can act as a protective factor for them. Although the importance of parental involvement has been recognized in regard to achievement, there is currently a lack of literature that uses both parent and teacher perspectives of parental involvement. There is also a lack of literature to determine if the relationship between parent- involvement and achievement is moderated by poverty level. This study's research questions include: (1) Is there a relationship between parent-perceived parental involvement and achievement? (2) Is there a relationship between teacher-perceived parental involvement and achievement? (3) To what degree do both parent-perceived parental involvement and teacher- perceived parental involvement predict achievement, and are these relationships moderated by poverty level? Data for this study were gathered through the Butler County Success Program, which provides services to economically disadvantaged students attending 36 schools in a Midwestern state. Collected data included levels of parent-perceived parental involvement, levels of teacher-perceived parental involvement, poverty level, and student achievement scores in mathematics. This study used parental-involvement indicators that assessed both the parent's and teacher's level of communication with each other. Analyses revealed a positive and significant correlation between both parent-perceived and teacher-perceived parental involvement and student mathematics achievement scores. Analyses also revealed that both parent- and teacher- perceived parental involvement significantly predict math achievement scores, and that relationship is not moderated by the students' level of poverty. This suggests that parent- and teacher-perceived parental involvement and student poverty level (open full item for complete abstract)

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2017, School Psychology

Parental involvement in education improves students' learning and development (Reece, Staudt, & Ogle, 2013). In spite of this, a number of barriers exist - particularly in low-income, urban areas - which discourage or prevent parents from becoming actively involved. Thus, the current study examined the effectiveness of a parental involvement program, as perceived by stakeholders, in increasing parental involvement in one urban, elementary, charter school. A summative program evaluation was completed; data were gathered through (n = 48) parent/guardian and (n = 10) teacher and school administrator surveys. Results indicated that stakeholders hold neutral perceptions of the overall effectiveness of the Classroom Parent Community (CPC) program. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2017, Human Ecology: Human Development and Family Science

To understand the roles of parent-child relationships in child adjustment, I examined the trajectories of father-child and mother-child relationship closeness and conflicts, as well as their associations with child depressive symptoms and optimism for boys and girls in middle childhood. Resident mothers and fathers from 685 families reported relationship closeness and conflicts with children across middle childhood at Grades 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6. In each family, one study child reported on his/her depressive symptoms and optimism at Grade 6. Parent-child relationship conflicts increased, whereas closeness decreased across middle childhood, regardless of parental or child gender. Mother-child relationships were characterized as closer but more conflictual than father-child relationships for both boys and girls. After controlling for socioeconomic status (SES), maternal and paternal depressive symptoms, and mother-rated externalizing behaviors and internalizing behaviors at Grade 1, the trajectories of father-child, but not mother-child, conflicts predicted child depressive symptoms at Grade 6, after accounting for the conflicts between child and the other parent. The trajectories of father-daughter closeness predicted girls' but not boys' depressive symptoms after controlling for mother-daughter closeness. The trajectories of both father-child and mother-child closeness predicted boys' and girls' optimism. The findings highlight the important roles of both father-child and mother-child relationships in child adjustment.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1981, Graduate School

Doctor of Nursing Practice , Case Western Reserve University, 2016, School of Nursing

Purpose: Adolescent sexual health is in the forefront of the nation's health agenda. Parents can play a critical role in decreasing adolescent sexual risk taking behaviors and improving adolescent sexual health. Parent-adolescent sexual communication (PASC) has been shown to decrease the adolescent's sexual risk taking behaviors, delay their sexual debut and decrease teenage pregnancies. This study reports on the attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge mothers perceive as barriers and facilitators of sexual communication with their adolescent daughters between the ages of 11-14 years old in a suburban Ohio community. Significance: Using Bandura's self-efficacy theory to understand the attitudes, beliefs, and content knowledge of mothers of adolescent females can help shape potential interventions, increase compliance and improve outcomes. By identifying barriers and facilitators of mother-daughter sexual communication, providers can create effective interventions and implementation strategies to optimize PASC. Methods: A qualitative study was used to investigate mother-daughter sexual communication from the mother's perceptions. A convenience sample of ten mothers of adolescents' females were recruited via social media and fliers in the community and they participated in semi-structured, one-on-one interviews to answer the following research questions: 1. What are the attitudes, beliefs, and content knowledge of mothers of adolescent females in a suburban Ohio community? 2. What do mothers perceive as significant barriers to effective PASC with their adolescent daughters in a suburban Ohio community? 3. What do mothers perceive as significant facilitators to effective PASC with their adolescent daughters in a suburban Ohio community?. The transcripts were analyzed for categories and themes using the steps of Data Analysis and Interpretation outlined by Hesse-Biber and Levy. Results: Mother's perceived their role as a primary resource of sexual health information (open full item for complete abstract)