Experiences of Sibling Relational Victimization in European American Families: Longitudinal Associations with Family and Friendship Dynamics in Adolescence

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Description
Sibling relationships are important units of socialization during adolescence. These involuntary relationships consist of positive and negative relationship qualities (Buist & Vermande, 2014; Deater-Deckard et al., 2002; Updegraff et al., 2005a), and some dimensions of these relationships are less understood…

Sibling relationships are important units of socialization during adolescence. These involuntary relationships consist of positive and negative relationship qualities (Buist & Vermande, 2014; Deater-Deckard et al., 2002; Updegraff et al., 2005a), and some dimensions of these relationships are less understood than other dimensions. One dimension in need of attention is that of sibling relational victimization, which includes behaviors aimed at harming one’s sibling relationship during a period in which interpersonal relationships are developmentally salient (Collins & Steinberg, 2006; Crick, 1995; Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). In my dissertation, I examine the associations between family and friendship dynamics and sibling relational victimization longitudinally during adolescence. In study 1, I examined the developmental change in sibling relational victimization experiences during adolescence, and tested the associations between parent-youth and sibling conflict and intimacy and sibling relational victimization longitudinally. Sibling structural characteristics were explored as moderators. Using longitudinal growth and multi-level modeling, I found that sibling relational victimization decreased across adolescence for both siblings, with younger siblings reporting higher frequency of sibling relational victimization relative to older siblings. On a general level, parent-adolescent and sibling intimacy and conflict were associated with sibling relational victimization, albeit in different ways for mixed- and same-gender dyads and older and younger siblings. Overall, findings from study 1 highlight the importance of examining parent-youth and sibling relationship dynamics, the vulnerability of younger siblings as victims of sibling relational victimization, and the interplay of sibling gender dynamics and father-youth relationships on sibling relational victimization experiences in adolescence. In study 2, I examined whether sibling relational victimization and negativity moderate the associations between parent-adolescent conflict and friendship control, conflict, and perspective taking in adolescence. Variation by sibling birth order and gender also was explored. Using path analytic models, I found that mother-adolescent, sibling, and friendship dynamics were interlinked, such that mother-adolescent conflict in combination with sibling negativity and sibling relational aggression were associated with friendship outcomes, albeit differently by sibling gender and friendship outcome. Findings from study 2 suggest the importance of addressing negative mother-adolescent and sibling relationship dynamics in prevention and intervention curricula aimed at promoting positive friendship dynamics during adolescence.
Date Created
2021
Agent

Creating More Inclusive Spaces for the Autistic Community

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Description

The goal of this study was to gain insights from adults on the autism spectrum regarding their recommendations for improving the accessibility of stores and restaurants. Four adults who indicated that they had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or…

The goal of this study was to gain insights from adults on the autism spectrum regarding their recommendations for improving the accessibility of stores and restaurants. Four adults who indicated that they had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or Asperger’s Syndrome volunteered to participate in a qualitative interview. The questions that participants were asked centered around their experiences in stores and restaurants, current accessibility guidelines, the impact of COVID-19 on their experiences, and their recommendations for increased accessibility. Recommendations fell into two main categories: changes to the environment and accommodations that could be provided. Participants suggested multiple ways to reduce their sensitivities to noise in stores and restaurants like lowering the music, creating a quiet hour, or providing noise cancelling headphones. Further efforts are needed to fully understand the issue of accessibility for autistic individuals.

Date Created
2021-12
Agent

Mexican American Female Perspectives on Marriage and Childbearing

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Description

The present study examined Mexican American females’ perspectives on childbearing and marriage and the role of cultural influences on their perspectives given high rates of pregnancy and early marriage among Mexican and Mexican American females in the U.S. and worldwide.…

The present study examined Mexican American females’ perspectives on childbearing and marriage and the role of cultural influences on their perspectives given high rates of pregnancy and early marriage among Mexican and Mexican American females in the U.S. and worldwide. Participants were ten Mexican American females between 20 and 22 years of age who participated in qualitative interviews about their perspectives on marriage and childbearing and how their Mexican cultural background, including their upbringing, family members, peers, and the media influenced their perspectives. Findings highlight that there is indeed a connection between Mexican culture and perspectives on marriage and childbearing amongst participants, and participants particularly noted the role of female family members, stereotypes, and educational pursuits in shaping their perspectives.

Date Created
2021-05
Agent

Links Between Adolescents’ and Parents’ Depressive Symptoms in Mexican-origin Families

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The present study examined associations between depressive symptoms among mothers, fathers,<br/>and adolescents and considered whether different associations emerged by parent and adolescent<br/>gender. In addition, the combination of maternal and paternal depressive symptoms was<br/>examined in relation to adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Participants…

The present study examined associations between depressive symptoms among mothers, fathers,<br/>and adolescents and considered whether different associations emerged by parent and adolescent<br/>gender. In addition, the combination of maternal and paternal depressive symptoms was<br/>examined in relation to adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Participants were 246 families of<br/>Mexican-origin in two-parent households who resided in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Data<br/>were collected during home interviews at Time 1 and phone calls with adolescents at Time 2.<br/>Findings revealed concurrent bivariate associations between adolescents’ and mothers’ and<br/>fathers’ depressive symptoms. Further, mothers’ depressive symptoms predicted increases in<br/>adolescents’ symptoms two years later. However, there were no significant gender differences,<br/>and the combination of mothers’ and fathers’ depressive symptoms did not predict adolescents’<br/>depressive symptoms. These findings contribute to understanding the interrelations between<br/>Mexican-origin mothers’, fathers’, and adolescents’ depressive symptoms.

Date Created
2021-05
Agent

Mexican-Origin Adolescents in Latino Neighborhoods: A Prospective and Mixed Methods Approach

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Description
Neighborhoods are important aspects of the adolescent and family ecology. Cultural developmental perspectives posit that neighborhood environments contain both promoting and inhibiting characteristics for ethnic-racial minoritized populations (García Coll et al., 1996). Historically, neighborhood researchers have approached Latino neighborhoods from…

Neighborhoods are important aspects of the adolescent and family ecology. Cultural developmental perspectives posit that neighborhood environments contain both promoting and inhibiting characteristics for ethnic-racial minoritized populations (García Coll et al., 1996). Historically, neighborhood researchers have approached Latino neighborhoods from a deficit perspective. Thus, there is limited research about how Latino neighborhoods support Latino youth development and family processes. In my dissertation, I examine both the promoting and inhibiting aspects of Latino identified neighborhoods for adolescent development.

In study 1, I prospectively examined a model in which Mexican-origin parents’ perceptions of social and cultural resources in neighborhoods may support parents to engage in higher levels of cultural socialization and, in turn, promote adolescents’ ethnic-racial identity (ERI). Findings suggest neighborhood social and cultural cohesion in late childhood promoted middle adolescents’ ERI affirmation via intermediate increases in maternal cultural socialization. Similar patterns were observed for ERI resolution, but only for adolescents whose mothers were born in the United States. Findings have critical implications for how neighborhoods support parents’ cultural socialization practices and adolescents’ ERI.

In study 2, I used a convergent mixed methods research design to compare and contrast researchers’ neighborhood assessments collected using systematic social observations (e.g., physical disorder, sociocultural symbols) with adolescents’ qualitative neighborhood assessments collected by semi-structured interviews with Mexican-origin adolescents. Using quantitative methods, I found that researchers observed varying degrees of physical disorder, physical decay, street safety, and sociocultural symbols across adolescents’ neighborhood environments. Using qualitative methods, I found that adolescents observed these same neighborhood features about half the time, but also that they often layered additional meaning on top of distinct neighborhood features. Using mixed methods I found that, in the context of high spatial concordance, there was a high degree of overlap between researchers and adolescents in terms of agreement on the presence of physical disorder, physical decay, street safety, and sociocultural symbols. Lastly, adolescents often expanded upon these neighborhood environmental features, especially with references to positive and negative affect and resources. Overall, findings from study 2 underscore the importance using mixed methods to address the shared and unique aspects of researchers’ objectivity and adolescents’ phenomenology.
Date Created
2020
Agent

Cultural Values and Mexican-Origin Adolescent Mothers' Use of Prenatal Care

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Description
This study examined the associations between Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ and their female family members’ familism values and prenatal healthcare among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Participants were 204 adolescent mothers between the ages of 15 and 18 (M = 16.19 years; SD…

This study examined the associations between Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ and their female family members’ familism values and prenatal healthcare among Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Participants were 204 adolescent mothers between the ages of 15 and 18 (M = 16.19 years; SD = .97) as well as their female family members who were visited in their homes when adolescent mothers were in their third trimester. Adolescent mothers and their female family members reported on their familism values and adolescent mothers reported on the timing of the first prenatal care visit, number of prenatal visits, and barriers to prenatal care. On average, adolescent mothers had their first prenatal care appointment at 11.5 weeks and averaged slightly less than eight prenatal care visits. A number of associations emerged between dimensions of familism and prenatal care. For example, adolescent mothers’ higher familism support values were associated with less barriers to receiving prenatal care, and female family members’ higher family obligation values were correlated with adolescent mothers having their first prenatal visit later in the pregnancy. In the overall pattern, more correlations emerged for Mexico-born as compared to U.S.-born family members. These findings provide insights about the associations between familism and Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ prenatal care, suggesting the need for further study of the links between cultural values and prenatal care among vulnerable populations.
Date Created
2020-05
Agent

Are familism values, family communication, and sleep associated with depressive symptoms?: an investigation of Latino youth well-being over the transition to college

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Description
The transition out of high school is a major milestone for adolescents as they earn greater autonomy and responsibilities. An estimated 69.2% of adolescents enroll in higher education immediately following high school completion, including increasing numbers of Latino adolescents (National…

The transition out of high school is a major milestone for adolescents as they earn greater autonomy and responsibilities. An estimated 69.2% of adolescents enroll in higher education immediately following high school completion, including increasing numbers of Latino adolescents (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). Integrative model (García Coll et al., 1996) suggests a need for research on promotive and protective contextual factors for ethnic minority children and adolescents. Guided by the model, the proposed research will explore a salient Latino cultural value, familism, and family communication as predictors of changes in depressive symptoms from high school to university among Latino adolescents (N = 209; 35.6% male; Mage=17.59, SD=.53). Furthermore, sleep, a key bioregulatory mechanism, was explored as a potential moderator of these processes (Dahl & El-Sheikh, 2007). On average, familism values were not associated with college depressive symptoms, but family communication was significantly negatively associated with college depressive symptoms. Neither sleep duration nor sleep problems significantly moderated the association between familism values and college depressive symptom. Patterns were similar for family communication. The interaction between sleep problems and familism-support values were significantly associated with college depressive symptoms. However, when simple slopes were probed, none were significant.
Date Created
2019
Agent

Assessing a culturally informed transactional model of Latino children's temperament development

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Description
The goal of this study is to contribute to the understanding of Mexican-American three- to five-year-old children’s effortful control (EC) and negative emotionality (NE) development by examining whether Mexican-American adolescent mothers’ parenting transacts with their three- to five-year-old children’s EC…

The goal of this study is to contribute to the understanding of Mexican-American three- to five-year-old children’s effortful control (EC) and negative emotionality (NE) development by examining whether Mexican-American adolescent mothers’ parenting transacts with their three- to five-year-old children’s EC and NE and by exploring whether mothers’ familism acts as a protective factor. I hypothesized that mothers’ harshness and warmth would transact with EC and NE over time. I further hypothesized that mothers’ familism values would (a) positively predict mothers’ warmth and negatively predict mothers’ harshness, and (b) act as a buffer between low EC and high NE, and high harshness and low warmth. These hypotheses were tested within a sample of Mexican-American adolescent mother-child dyads (N = 204) and assessed longitudinally when children were 36, 48, and 60 months. Mothers were predominantly first generation (i.e., mothers’ parents were born in Mexico; 67%) and spoke English (65%). When children were 36 months, average family income (i.e., wages, public assistance, food stamps) was $24,715 (SD = $19,545) and mothers had started community college (13%) or completed high school/GED (30%), 11th grade (19%), 10th grade (8%), or less than 9th grade (14%). In this sample, transactions between harshness or warmth and EC or NE were not found, but a bidirectional association between NE and harshness was found. Familism marginally negatively predicted harshness, but not warmth. Familism moderated the relation between NE and harshness such that there was only a negative relation between NE and harshness when familism was high. However, familism did not moderate the relations between NE and warmth, or EC and harshness or warmth. The results of this study are discussed with respect to (a) current methodological limitations in the field, such as the need to test or develop parent-report measures of Mexican-American children’s temperament and value-driven socialization goals, (b) future avenues for research, such as person-centered studies of clusters of mothers’ values and how those relate to clusters of parenting behaviors, and (c) implications for interventions addressing parenting behavior of adolescent mothers.
Date Created
2018
Agent

Classroom Impression Management in Early Adolescence: Exploring Students’ Academic Self-Presentation Strategies with Peers

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Description
The current study expands prior work on early adolescents’ impression management in the classroom by developing a self-report measure that was used to explore students’ endorsement of four academic self-presentation strategies (i.e., exaggerate, downplay, honest, and avoid) depending on peer…

The current study expands prior work on early adolescents’ impression management in the classroom by developing a self-report measure that was used to explore students’ endorsement of four academic self-presentation strategies (i.e., exaggerate, downplay, honest, and avoid) depending on peer type (i.e., best friend and most popular classmate), academic performance condition (i.e., strong and poor performance), and whether gender differences emerged, when discussing one’s level of effort on a class project. Specifically, data were collected from 475 eighth-grade students (253 boys, 222 girls) within a high-performing educational context. Preliminary psychometric evidence is provided indicating that the measurement tool developed for the present study shows promise. Additionally, findings from the current study extend existing work in which eighth-grade students perceive that high-status youth are less academically engaged than one’s close friends, and students are reluctant to appear industrious to one’s peers; however, given the novelty of the measure and educational context in which data were collected, alternative interpretations and corresponding implications of study results are discussed. The current study also extends theoretical conceptualizations of how transactional processes among early adolescents’ perceptions of academic norms among classmates, concerns over one’s public image, and students’ use of academic self-presentation strategies with peers may have lasting effects on students’ educational identity and commitment.
Date Created
2017
Agent

Designing a Program Evaluation to Measure the Outcomes of Youth Leadership Programs: A Collaboration between Arizona Facts of Life and the Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) Program

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Description
The Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) Program collaborated with a local non-profit organization called Arizona Facts of Life to design a program evaluation for their Youth Leadership Development Training Program, FACTS Curriculum. The purpose of this study was to identify…

The Community Action Research Experiences (CARE) Program collaborated with a local non-profit organization called Arizona Facts of Life to design a program evaluation for their Youth Leadership Development Training Program, FACTS Curriculum. The purpose of this study was to identify targeted program outcomes, design an assessment to address these outcomes, and recommend possible evaluation designs. Arizona Facts of Life will implement the assessment using one of the recommended evaluation designs, and use the results to measure their Youth Leadership Development Training Program's outcomes and demonstrate efficacy.
Date Created
2016-05
Agent
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